


Moonbasket

by Ariallyn



Category: Fruits Basket, Heart Attack - LOONA (Music Video), LOONA (Korea Band), New - LOONA (Music Video)
Genre: F/F, Multi, crossover/AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-27 00:53:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 59,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15013148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariallyn/pseuds/Ariallyn
Summary: After the death of her mother, Chuu moves by herself to a new town where she meets a beautiful and mysterious girl named Yves. After discovering that Yves has a terrible secret, Chuu quickly becomes entangled in the complex lives of the DeLune family.Loosely based on the Fruitsbasket Manga/Anime. I think it'll be fun for those who know the Fruitsbasket universe, but you can still enjoy the story without it! Name will probably change once I find a better one haha!





	1. Prologue

_Once upon a time there were four girls who lived in a beautiful garden. They had everything they needed, but for one of the girls, it wasn’t enough. Their God was strict, and demanded perfection. The rebellious girl found perfection and being good to be boring. One day, she was walking through the garden when she came upon a cat who had killed a rabbit._

_“Why did you do that?” The girl asked, for all animals in the garden could survive on what grew there._

_“Because I wanted to,” The cat replied simply, “Before, I was happy to eat fruit, but now I wanted something more.”_

_“What happened to make you want this?”_

_“I ate from the forbidden tree.”_

_The girl gasped. There was one tree in the garden that God had told them they must not eat from._

_“I ate the fruit and suddenly I felt a new curiosity. I can choose to do what I want, right or wrong. I don’t have to be perfect. Once I ate that fruit, I knew that this was my nature, to hunt. I feel more alive than I ever have.”_

_The girl couldn’t sleep that night. She wanted to feel alive. She wanted to break away from perfection. Finally, before the sun rose that morning, the rebellious girl snuck to the forbidden tree and ate its fruit._

_It was everything she expected and more._

_The next day, she convinced her lover to eat the fruit as well. And then the two of them convinced the next girl. The last girl, however, couldn’t be convinced._

_When God came looking for them, the girls knew that she would see that they had eaten the fruit, so they ran, leaving the last girl behind._

_God was not pleased. “So, you want to be wild like beasts with free will? Fine. Then so be it.”_

_God turned them all into animals, except for the rebellious girl’s lover. God knew the girl had started all this, and had a punishment especially for her. God turned the girl who had stayed behind into a wolf, and sent her after the others. Under God’s orders, the wolf killed the rebellious girl’s lover. The others were unable to help her, having turned into a swan and a butterfly. All they could do was run. The wolf chased them out of Eden, along with all the other animals: the frog, the bird, the deer, the fish, the owl, the bat, and of course, the cat._

_To this day, the wolf chases them under God’s orders._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like the idea so far! I literally thought of this last night, realizing that it would be a perfect AU with the animal storyline! I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about it so much!  
> Just for fun, what characters/archetypes do you think the girls will fill? I won't necessarily have each of them line up with a specific character, and I won't do it just by animal either (that's too simple). Clearly, Chuu is Tohru. Comment what you think!


	2. A New Face

“A new school, and a new start!” Chuu looked up at building eagerly. She’d let herself take a semester off, but now she was back so she could fulfill her promise to her mother. She was going to work hard and finish high school! It was going to be tough, a new school at the beginning of her junior year. It would be hard to make friends, but what mattered more was staying focused on her school work. She’d studied extra hard over the summer to make up for what she missed last semester, and she felt ready to go!

_ You’ll see mom, I’m gonna do great! You’ll be so proud of me! _

* * *

 

“We have a new student today, so everyone be welcoming.”

Chuu stood at the front of the class, nervous. “My name is Chuu Kim! Thank you for accepting me into your class!” Some students smiled encouragingly while others looked bored. Chuu took the last empty seat at the back of the classroom. She tried to smile in greeting to the girl next to her, but the girl’s face was turned pointedly out the window. Chuu let out a little sigh and pulled out her notebook. 

* * *

 

“Thank you so much! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Chuu left the bakery, glowing with happiness. She had gotten a new job much quicker than she anticipated. She’d have enough money saved up to start renting an apartment in no time! For now, however…

* * *

 

Chuu unzipped the door to her tent and flopped in. “I’m back Mom!” She stretched out as far as the small tent would let her. It had been an exciting but tiring day. She picked up the small, framed picture she had of her mother.

“My first day at school went really well! And I got a new job at the bakery in town! I’m really excited cause it smells so nice and there’s so many different kinds of sweets. Plus, one of the other workers said that we get to bring home and extra food if it’s more than two days old at the end of the day! For now I’ll just be cleaning, but the boss said I would have the opportunity to learn how to make bread and pastries and bake for the shop too! I’m so excited!”

Chuu sighed and held her mother’s picture close to her chest. As much as she wanted to fall asleep right there, she knew she had homework to do.

“All I have to do now is make some friends and everything will be perfect.”

* * *

 

Chuu didn’t know when things started to go so wrong. Her attempts to make friends had ended miserably. She was tired, and her back hurt from sleeping in a tent every night. And now she had ended up here, on the ground while a group of three girls looked down at her tauntingly.

It was the end of class, and Chuu was packing her things when the girls approached her. 

“So what’s your deal?”

Chuu looked up to see the girls standing there.

“My deal?” She asked, confused, but cheerful.

“The way you’re so smiley all the time. We can see right through it. We don’t like fake people.”

Chuu’s aforementioned smile faltered slightly, “Fake?”

“Forget about that,” another girl started, “ _ I _ heard that you use the locker room shower every day after class. Are you like, super poor or something?”

“I-I,” Chuu stuttered, her face turning red.

“Just because your parents can’t afford your water bill doesn’t mean you can use the school as your own private bathroom.”

“I have to get to work…” Chuu said quietly, trying to get around them to leave. But the girls wouldn’t let her go. They stood in front of her like a wall. “Please…” She tried to push past them. That’s when she was shoved back, hard. She landed on her butt on the ground.

“You think you can push me, bitch?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Chuu put her face in her hands as the girls stepped closer.

 

“Hey!”

 

The three girls whipped around. The class was empty except for one girl standing in the front. Chuu peeked up over her hands. She had long chestnut hair and a face that couldn’t even be flawed by the scowl she had on.

“Stop being assholes. Leave her alone,” she said, almost as if she were bored.

“Mind your damn business!”

“I just thought you might like to know the teacher is on her way. She’s coming down the hall right now.”

The girls look at each other anxiously, before giving Chuu and the girl one last glare and leaving in a hurry.

The girl walked over to Chuu and extended a hand. Looking closer now, the girl was even more beautiful. Chuu’s breath was almost taken away. Chuu took it and the girl pulled her up with ease, stronger than she looked. 

“Thank you so much,” Chuu said, “I really owe you one.”

“Don’t mention it. They were just in my way anyways,” the girl turned to her desk and picked up a pencil, “I forgot this.”

“Oh. Well, thank you still. My name is Chuu,” Chuu smiled at the girl eagerly. 

“I’m Yves.”

Yves turned to leave, and that’s when Chuu realized something.

“Wait! You’re the girl who sits next to me in class!” 

Yves turned back at her to look incredulous. “Yes, that’s why my pencil was there.”

“Right! Sorry,” Chuu was embarrassed, “It’s just that you always face away from me. So I could only recognize you from the back of your head!” 

Yves paused for a second, then smiled, “That’s funny.”

For a second, Chuu was taken aback by the girl’s beauty again. When she smiled, her cheekbones popped out, round and rosy as apples. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a girl so beautiful in her life. 

The image in her mind kept her occupied and her shift at work went by in a flash. It wasn’t until later that night, as she lay in her tent, that she realized Yves’ smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if my chapters are short! They'll get longer as we go on!!


	3. If We Face Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fact that I took a step towards you first, lets me find a self I didn't even know...

Yves liked to think that she was pretty observant. But it took her quite a while to catch on to the new turn of events. After lunch, she had gone to sit in her usual seat. When she turned to look out the window, there was an apple perched on the window sill right next to her. She assumed that someone must have eaten lunch in the classroom and forgotten it there. She didn’t think much of it after that.

Until the next day, when she found another apple, this time on her desk. She frowned slightly, annoyed, and put it on the window sill. The next day, it was on her chair. Who kept forgetting their apples behind? It was getting extremely annoying. People should clean up after themselves. She picked it up with a huff, and marched over to the classroom trash bin and threw it in. 

And that was how she ended up here, staring at her desk but not sitting down. Another apple was there. But now it had a yellow ribbon tied around it in a bow, like a…

Gift. 

The realization hit her. The apples weren’t left behind on accident. She looked around, and her eyes landed on the likely culprit. 

The new girl, the one she had helped last week. Her name was… Chuu? Chuu was staring down at her book with uncharacteristic concentration. Yves spent most of her time looking out the window herself, but she’d seen Chuu zoned out in class more than enough times as well. Now her eyes were unmoving as they were locked on to a single spot on her book, her ears turning red.

Yves was used to turning people down. She had received many gifts, love letters, and confessions since she was in middle school, but they had all been from boys. She’d never been pursued by a girl before. Unfortunately, she knew that taking gifts only encouraged them, even if she said no. So, she took the apple and placed it on the window sill again, and when class was over, she left it behind.

Dating and love weren’t an option for her, not with the way that she was. Yves felt a familiar ache bubble up into her chest before she pushed it back down as she always did. She exited the school building, ready to walk home when…

“Yves!”

Yves turned to see Chuu running across the front lawn towards her. She stopped in front of her, out of breath, then held out the apple. The ribbon was slightly askew now, almost undone.

“I just wanted to thank you!!” She panted, “And… WILL YOU PLEASE BE MY FRIEND?” She scrunched her face up and practically yelled the last bit, holding the apple out with two hands and bowing. 

Yves stared at her. She felt a little stupid. Chuu wasn’t trying to woo her after all. But, just like dating, she didn’t really have friends either. However… something about the desperation and child-like excitement in Chuu’s eyes made her slowly take the apple from her hands.

Chuu positively  _ beamed  _ at her, shining with happiness. Yves never could have imagined someone being so happy to be her friend. She took the ribbon off of the apple and took a bite.

It was as sweet as sin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say, this is NOT what I think is happening in the video. She does not want to be friends. She is IN LOVE. However, I wanted to hold off on that for the sake of this story. Love me some slow-burn :)


	4. Is It You?

“Kim Lip! I’m home!” Yves kicked her shoes off as she entered.

“Welcome back!!” Kim Lip ran into the room, wearing a ridiculous frilly apron and waving a ladle. “How was school? Did you make any friends? Did you get a boyfriend?” 

Yves opened her mouth to give her usual angry retort but then she remembered, “Well, actually--”

Kim Lip gasped, “You got a boyfriend???”

“No!” Yves snapped, “I guess I kind of made a friend?” Kim Lip asked her that every day, and she was pretty sure she did it just to annoy her. 

“Really?  _ You _ made a friend?” 

Yves glared at her.

Kim Lip held her hands up in surrender, “I mean you’re so pretty, I always said you could be the most popular girl in school like your sister and I were if you just opened up to people!”

“Don’t talk to me about her,” Yves, started to walk towards the stairs.

“Well I’m happy for you! You haven’t really had any friends since O--” 

“STOP talking!!”

“Well,” Kim Lip sighed, “I’m happy for you. What are they like?”

“She’s uh, very talkative, and kind of like a child.”

“That’s an interesting way to describe a friend.”

Yves felt like she didn’t know enough about having friends to comment. Apparently being friends meant walking together after school. 

“I have to stop by home to pick up my clothes for work!” Chuu had said.

Yves was surprised when they got closer and closer to her house without Chuu splitting off. Instead, she just chatted Yves’ ear off. When Yves asked if Chuu was going out of her way, she shook her head vigorously. All of her actions seemed so animated.

“My house is just a few minutes down this way!” Chuu insisted. Yves thought this was odd. They had reached the DeLune property, and she was pretty sure the forest past her house extended for miles.

Sure enough, however, when she reached her house, Chuu cheerfully waved and continued down the path. 

“Are there any houses east of here?” Yves asked abruptly.

“I don’t think so… why?”

“No reason, I just…” Yves paused, “Uh, Kim, what’s that smell?”

Kim Lip gasped, “My soup!!” She ran into the kitchen, just as smoke was starting to billow out.

“How do you burn soup??”

As Kim Lip scrambled to keep the kitchen from burning down, Yves sighed and fished out the all-too-familiar take out menu.

* * *

 

“Mooom, I’m home!” Chuu called happily. She climbed into her tent, gingerly holding a small pastry box in her hand. Her clothes and face had spots of flour on them, but she was too tired to care. “Look what I brought!”

She set the box down and opened it, pulling out a beautiful cupcake with fluffy frosting and a strawberry on top. “We had an extra busy day today so the boss let me take it home for doing a good job.” She happily bit into it, savoring the sweet frosting. 

She sighed, content. 

“I made a friend today,” she said with a mouth full of cupcake, “Well, I think I did. She didn’t talk much. I’m not sure if she likes me at all. But she didn’t seem to have any friends either, I thought she might be lonely like me.” Chuu finished her cupcake and flopped down onto her pillow.

“I’ve still got homework to do but…” she yawned, “I can just do it in the morning…” Within seconds she was fast asleep, a bit of frosting still stuck to her upper lip.

* * *

 

A loud clap of thunder jolted Chuu awake. The wind outside was raging, and rain beat against her tent. She was surprised she hadn’t woken up sooner. She shivered and curled up tighter as her tent flapped around as if the wind would tear it from the ground at any moment.

Speaking of tearing…

Chuu bolted upright as she heard a long ripping noise. Next thing she knew, half of the tent had come loose from the bottom and suddenly the water and wind were in the tent with her. Chuu grabbed the top of the tent and struggled to pull it back down. The only thing that kept the tent down was the piece still stuck to the bottom, which she sat on top of. 

That’s when her papers started to scatter.

“No, no, no!!!” Chuu yelled, releasing the tent and quickly attempting to stuff her things into her bag. She was already soaked to the bone, and was pretty sure a majority of her things were damaged beyond repair. She pushed the last of her things into the bag just as the last piece of tent tore.

The wind whipped it up and away.

“My tent!” 

She ran after it as it tumbled through the trees and down the hill.

“Please come back Mr. Tent! I need you!”

She kept chasing her runaway home when she tripped over a rock and fell flat on her face. She pushed herself up onto her knees. Her hair stuck to her face and she was covered in mud. She was the coldest she had ever been in her life.

The tent was nowhere in sight.

* * *

 

Yves woke up at a clap of thunder. She sat up in bed and looked out the window. It was pouring. She had always liked the rain, so she opened up her window a crack so that the wind would carry the smell and sound in. She laid back and was about to let the rain lull her back to sleep when--

“Mr. Tent!”

Yves’ eyes flashed open. Was that a voice? She sat back up. 

Surely no one would be out there in the storm in the middle of the night. She sat back up and looked out the window. Was that a figure she saw, running?

That’s when the person tripped. It sure was. Yves got up in a hurry, putting a coat on over her nightgown. She ran down to the front door and opened it, grimacing as the wind and rain hit her in the face. She saw the girl on her knees about 50 feet in front of the house. 

“Hello?” Yves yelled.

The girl didn’t seem to hear.

Yves ran out into the rain and approached her. 

“Hey, are you oka-- Chuu?” She stopped short at the sight of Chuu’s familiar auburn hair. Chuu was delirious, and didn’t seem to notice her.

Yves stood there in indecision for a moment, then grabbed Chuu’s arm and pulled her up. She pulled her towards the house as well as she could without letting their torsos touch. Transforming was the last thing she needed, she would be no help then. 

She was struggling to drag Chuu when Kim Lip appeared in the doorway.

“Yves? What’s going on?”

“Come here and help me get her inside.”

Kim Lip came out and grabbed Chuu’s other arm, and they brought her in with more ease. When they finally got her inside, they were all soaked. She could feel Chuu shivering harshly. 

“Who the hell is this?” 

“My new friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I update often haha. So keep an eye out!


	5. Tell Me Your Story

Chuu woke up more comfortably than she had in weeks. She could feel the sun on her face through her closed eyelids.

_ Just five more minutes… _ She thought, pulling the blanket over her head as she snuggled deeper into the soft bed.

_ Wait. What? _

Her eyes flashed open and she found herself in a big, soft, white bed in an unfamiliar room. 

“Uhh…” She climbed out of bed, feeling a little dizzy. Looking down, she realized she was wearing a nightgown that did not belong to her. She struggled to remember how she had gotten here instead of her tent.

Her tent!

It had ripped and flown away! She suddenly remembered chasing it, and falling. It became blurry after that. She had a vague memory of someone changing her out of her wet clothes. She flushed slightly, embarrassed. 

Timidly, she opened the door to the room and peered down the empty hallway. She walked down the hall, and then down the staircase at the end. At the bottom of the stairs was the dining room, and at the table sat…

“Oh, good morning,” Yves said. Next to her was a beautiful blonde girl, too young to be Yves’ mother. 

“Uhh??” 

The blonde woman stood up, “Here, come sit down and eat breakfast,” she pulled Chuu by the arm to an empty chair, “I’m Yves’ cousin. You can call me Auntie Kim!”

“Stop being weird Kim Lip,” Yves muttered.

Kim Lip ignored her,“You gave us quite the scare last night, it’s not every day you find a soaking wet girl in your front yard.”

Chuu hung her head, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was by your house I was just chasing my te--” She stopped abruptly. She didn’t want to admit that she had been living in a tent in the woods.

“Yeah we actually found your tent stuck in a tree in the back,” The blonde girl said, “What was that about anyways? Were you camping? Didn’t you see on the weather that it was supposed to storm?”

“W-w-ell I…” Chuu scrambled, “I’m forgetful like that! I just love being out in the woods, and one with nature so much I got so excited and I--”

“Chuu, when those girls said you were showering at school…” Yves started to realize as she watched Chuu stutter. “Have you been living in that tent?”

Chuu put her head in her hands, mortified.

“You’ve been living in a tent??” Kim Lip asked, shocked. 

“It was only temporary…” Chuu said weakly.

“What about your parents?? Are you a runaway?” 

“Kim Lip, please stop yelling,” Yves said impatiently, she put a hand on Chuu’s arm, “Why don’t you tell us what happened. That is, if you want.”

Chuu took her face out of her hands, “Well… I lost my mother in December. I had to drop out of school for the semester to take care of her funeral  expenses and arrangements. My mother never finished high school, and so it was always important to her that I did. I worked hard so that I could start again, but I was staying with my grandfather who lived in a different district than my old school so I started here this year.”

“But why were you living in a tent?” Yves asked gently.

“Well, my grandfather is getting renovations done on his house, so he went to stay with my aunt and her family, but they didn’t have room for me. My grandfather asked if I could stay with a friend but… I don’t really have any friends. I had a couple at my old school, but they lived too far away from my new school. I didn’t want to be a bother. So I decided to just live in a tent! I figured it I saved enough money and got a good job, I could get my own apartment and be independent so my grandfather wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore!” Chuu ended brightly, she didn’t want the other two to think she couldn’t handle it. She’d been doing well so far!

“I knew it was strange that you said you lived nearby when there’s nothing but woods, which is on the DeLune property, but I never expected this…” Yves said.

“I’m sorry! If you want, I can pay rent. I’ve been working at the bakery! I won’t be a bother. It’ll be like I’m not even there!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kim Lip said, “We can’t just have a girl living in a tent in our woods!”

Chuu hung her head “I understand.”

“You’ll have to just live with us!”

“What?” Chuu looked up.

“ _ What?”  _ Yves gaped.

“I couldn’t possibly--”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Both of you hush,” Kim Lip waved a hand, “We have plenty of room and besides…” She smiled, “You said you work at a bakery, right? Do you like to cook?”

Chuu nodded eagerly, “I love to cook! I want to be a chef one day!”

“So it’s settled! Yves and I can’t cook worth a damn, and I’m sick of takeout. So, you can be like our personal chef in exchange for living with us!”

“Kim Lip can I talk to you for a second?”

Yves took Kim Lip into the kitchen. 

“How can you be so reckless? We can’t have an outsider living with us.”

“Yves, relax. It’ll be fine. As long as neither of us hug her there shouldn’t be a problem! It’ll be tough though, considering how cute she is…”

“Can you be serious for one second?” Yves snapped, “The head of the family would never agree to this, and you know getting mixed up with us is dangerous. I’m going to go in there and tell her she’ll have to find somewhere else.”

Yves turned and walked back to the dining room, Kim Lip trailing behind her.

“Yves, come on…” 

Yves entered the room to see Chuu standing, her hands clasped together.

“I know it’s awfully inconvenient of me to impose on you like this. I want to thank you so much for your generosity and kindness. I am in your debt, and I will do my best to be a great chef! I hope I can meet your expectations!” She bowed down.

Yves hesitated, then sighed.

“Fine.”

“Yay!!” Kim Lip jumped forward, arms extended towards Chuu. 

Yves grabbed her and smacked her upside the head, “What are you doing, idiot??”

“Sorry, I forgot,” Kim Lip pouted, rubbing her head.

Chuu just smiled at the two cluelessly.

Yves put a hand over her face. This couldn’t end well.

* * *

 

_ Wow Mom, I can’t believe how things turned out. _ Chuu leaned with her elbows on the counter, daydreaming. It was a slow day at the bakery for a Saturday. She’d luckily realized at the last second that she had a shift at work. Kim Lip had very kindly put her clothes in the laundry, so she had to borrow jeans and a white t-shirt from Yves. She’d thanked her profusely before hurrying off to work.  _ Who would have known that I would go from living in a tent to living in a house with two beautiful and mysterious women? I’m so grateful, but I’m still shocked!  _

The bell on the door rang, shaking Chuu out of her thoughts. She put on a smile as a cute girl with long dark hair approached the counter.

“What can I get for you today?” Chuu asked.

“Can I get two croissants and a baguette?”

“Of course!” Chuu put her bread in a bag and rang her up. 

The girl pulled out her wallet.

“Oh! I like your charms! They’re so cute!” Chuu exclaimed. Hanging from the girl’s wallet were a little rabbit and cat charm. 

“Thanks!” The girl smiled back. Chuu wondered if this city just had an unusual amount of remarkably beautiful people.

The moment the girl left, Chuu zoned out again. She wondered what life would be like now, staying with Yves. She had only just convinced her to be her friend. She hoped it wasn’t too much of an imposition. Yves seemed reluctant when Kim Lip first mentioned it.

Chuu groaned and put her head on the counter. She hoped this didn’t put a strain on her new friendship. Yves must think she was some sort of weird stalker-- first chasing her down and asking to be her friend, and then showing up outside her house in the middle of the night, and now coming to live with her!

“Uh… Chuu?”

Chuu bolted upright and came face to face with Yves.

“Yves??” 

She must not have heard the bell ring!

“I guess you were off in your own world, huh?”

Chuu smiled sheepishly, “I guess so. I do that a lot. Mom used to call me an airhead.”

Yves smiled back at her, but still Chuu noticed there was something guarded in her expression. 

“But, how can I help you today?” Chuu piped up, “Did you want some bread?”

“Ah, no actually. Kim Lip sent me here to ask you to make a grocery list. We don’t have any food at the house for you to cook with, so you can just tell me what you need and I’ll go to the store.”

“Oh!” Chuu looked up at the clock, “You know what? I can just take my lunch break and go with you!”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do that.”

“Of course! That way I can see the options and decide what I want to cook! Besides, shopping is always more fun together than alone!” 

Yves stared at Chuu’s bright smile for a moment, “Alright.”

They walked down the street to the grocery store together. Yves was struck by how excited Chuu was even for the smallest things. You would think they were walking through a toy store, not the vegetable aisle.

“Should we get onions?” Yves asked, picking up a small bag of them.

“Yes but…” Chuu looked around, “Aha!” She ran over to a bin and pulled out another bag of onions. “The store puts older produce on sale. As long as I cook them early this week they should stay good!”

“We could get these fresher ones if you wanted,” Yves said, “Money isn’t an issue.”

Chuu shook her head and brought the onions back to the cart, “Mom always said you should never pass up a good deal! Capitalism is a cruel mistress. You’ve got to take any rare gift she’ll give you!”

Yves blinked a few times, “What?” She started to laugh a little. That was such a strange line to hear coming from Chuu’s mouth.

“I think she just meant... life can be tough and you should take any opportunity you can to live a little easier sometimes!”

“That makes a lot of sense actually.”

“Yeah, mom was very wise!” 

Chuu seemed to bring her mother up a lot. Yves couldn’t believe how cheerful she was all the time. You would never guess by talking to her that she had gone through such a tragedy so recently. And then she was living in a tent! But she always had that goofy smile on her face. Yves wondered if she would be able to smile like Chuu did if she was in her position. Compared to Chuu, she was pathetic.

"If you don't mind me asking... How did your mother die?"

"Ah, she got hit by a car," Chuu said quietly, "It was very sudden, they said she wasn't in any pain."

"I'm sorry..."

“Do you like shrimp, Yves?” Chuu’s asked suddenly.

“Uh, Yes, I do.”

Chuu leaned over to reach in front of Yves, grabbing a pack of shrimp. Yves visibly flinched back as Chuu’s arm brushed hers. 

“Ah, sorry,” Chuu said, a little taken aback at Yves’ reaction.  _ Yves must really like her personal space _ , she thought.

“No I--” Yves started, “I’m sorry,” she trailed off, looking down.

Yves didn’t talk much for the rest of their trip. Chuu tried not to worry too much about if she had offended her.

They stopped outside the bakery.

“I’m sorry you have to carry all those bags home alone,” Chuu said.

“It’s no problem, I’m pretty strong,” Yves winked. Chuu smiled, hoping this meant Yves wasn’t upset with her.

“Okay well, I’ll see you tonight. I hope you’re ready for a delicious dinner!”

“I can’t wait.”

Chuu wondered, as she watched Yves leave, what Yves’ real smile would look like. She could swear it always looked like Yves was holding something back. Maybe, in time, she would find out.


	6. Egoist

 

It was strange walking to school with Yves now instead of alone, but it was nice. Chuu was so happy to finally have someone to talk to. And now she had someone to eat lunch with as well. She could feel people giving them strange looks, but she wasn’t sure why.

Towards the end of the day, she was exiting the bathroom when two boys cornered her in the hall.

“It’s Chuu, right? Word has it you’re friends with Yves now.”

“Y-yes, we are!”

“Awesome. You see, my friend here bet me five dollars it was just a rumor.”

“She’s been here for two years and never made friends with anyone, and she rejected every boy who confessed to her.”

“I heard a guy tried to hug her once, and she pushed him down and ran away.”

“But if you’ve made friends with her, maybe she’s warmed up a little. She’s always seemed like such a frigid bitch, but you look like a nice girl.”

Chuu was shocked, “I think I should go back to class…” she muttered.

“You should talk to her for me, see if she’ll go on a date with me,” The boy stepped in closer, blocking Chuu’s path.

“Why would you want to go on a date with her if you think she’s a- a… bitch?” Chuu grimaced, she didn’t like to swear.

“Because she’s hot, duh,” the boy laughed. He leaned in, “But you’re pretty cute too. Maybe we can make it a double date.”

“I’M SORRY I HAVE TO GO,” Chuu bolted away from him back to her classroom.

The encounter weighed on Chuu’s mind for the rest of class. She wondered if what the boy said was true. Did Yves really never have any friends? And did she push that boy down? Of course, it was rude to try and hug someone without their permission. Chuu remembered how Yves reacted when Chuu got too close. Chuu wondered if Yves was scared of being touched.

When the two of them left school that afternoon, they passed by the boys. The one who spoke the most gave Chuu a wink and a thumbs up. Chuu looked away, embarrassed, and started walking faster.

Yves noticed her reaction, “Chuu, are you okay?”

“Yeah!” Chuu laughed, “I’m fine!”

Yves looked back at the boys, who were laughing and whispering to themselves while they watched them walk.

“Did those boys bother you?”

“No they--” Chuu stopped at Yves’ no-nonsense look, “They wanted me to ask if you’d go on a date with them.”

“Tch,” Yves rolled her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chuu insisted, “You’re so pretty, it makes sense that boys would like you!”

“But I don’t want to bring you into it,” Yves sighed, “What do you think, should I date one of them?”

“Uh…” Chuu wasn’t one to say mean things about people but… “I don’t think so. They weren’t very nice.”

“Well that settles that,” Yves smiled. Chuu smiled back eagerly. Clearly those boys were wrong. Chuu knew that Yves had a kind heart.

* * *

 

When they arrived at the house, a girl that Chuu didn’t recognize was standing in the front yard.

“Great…” Yves muttered.

“You ready for me you ugly duckling?” The girl said loudly.

“Take your childish grudges somewhere else,” Yves sneered back. She walked right past the girl, with Chuu following behind her.

Up close, the girl looked to be the same age as them, with long black hair and fierce silver eyes. Just like Yves, she was stunningly pretty, even with a scowl.

Yves and Chuu stepped onto the porch.

“Don’t walk away from me!” The girl snapped, darting forward and grabbing Yves’ wrist. Yves stopped short, causing Chuu to walk right into her back.

“Oops--”  Suddenly, there was a loud POOF and puff of pink smoke. The small implosion made Chuu stumble back and step backwards off of the porch. She crashed right into the girl behind her, knocking them both back to the ground.

POOF. Another cloud of pink smoke.

“I’m so sorry!” Chuu sat up on the ground, scrambling to apologize to the girl as the smoke dissipated. But when she turned around, she came face to face with a growling wolf.

“Huh???” Chuu exclaimed. The wolf growled louder. Chuu screamed and bolted up.

“Yves!! It’s a wolf!” But when she turned to the porch, Yves was gone. All that was left was her clothes in a pile. Chuu jumped up and away from the wolf. “Yves??”

The clothes started to move. Then, out of the folds, a small, fuzzy, grey head poked out.

“A duck??” Chuu exclaimed.

The wolf barked, and started to move forward.

Chuu let out a terrified squeak and scooped the duckling up, running into the house.

The wolf chased after her as she yelled, “KIM LIP?? IT’S A WOLF!! HELP!!”

Kim Lip poked her head out of her room, “Huh? What’s going on?”

Chuu went crashing into her, pushing her back into her room.

POOF.

Chuu closed the door behind them. She could hear the wolf crash into it just as it closed. She let out a breath of relief as the smoke cleared again.

“Kim Lip, something strange is going--” Chuu stopped short, staring at the owl on the floor in front of her.

“Huh??” Chuu stood up, “Huh????”

_Mom, I must be dreaming! They all turned into animals!!_

Chuu felt dizzy. She stumbled over to a wall, leaning against it. She looked down at the duckling in her hands. Then, she heard the doorknob start turning. The door popped open, and the wolf came in.

“It can open doors??” Chuu grabbed the owl, which hooted in a displeased tone, and jumped up on the bed.

“Olivia, quit, you’re scaring the shit out of her,” came a voice from Chuu’s arms.

“You can talk??” Chuu looked down at the owl, who wriggled out of her arms and jumped down to the floor.

“How the hell did this even happen?” The owl that sounded like Kim Lip asked.

“It was that dumb mutt’s fault,” said a voice that sounded like Yves. Chuu nearly dropped the duckling in surprise.

“How is my fault you ugly duck??”

“You’re the one who started all this, and made Chuu bump into me.”

“Well what’s an outsider doing here anyways?? She has no business being here!”

“You’re the one who has no business being here. Who we have in our house has nothing to do with you.”

Chuu’s knees gave out, and she sat down on the bed. What on earth was going on?? Her head was spinning.

The duckling hopped out of her hands and onto the bed.

“There’s no point in arguing whose fault it was,” the owl sighed, “It’s too late now. We’ll just have to tell her.”

“Chuu.”

Chuu looked down at the duckling, “...Yves?”

“You see, our family has a curse. Every generation, there are 11 people who are possessed by the spirits of animals. Have you heard of the legend of Eden?”

Chuu nodded slowly, dumbstruck.

“Well, we’re cursed so that when we are hugged by an outsider, or I guess bumped into, or if our bodies get too weak, we turn into our animals from the legend. Kim Lip is the owl, I’m the swan, and that idiot over there is the wolf.”

“Cursed…?” Chuu couldn’t believe her ears. It was like a movie! Curses and animal spirits?

“Eventually we turn back but,”

Three big POOFs cut her off as the animals vanished in a puff of smoke.

“We’re all naked,” Yves finished, transformed to her human self. She sat on the bed in front of Chuu. Kim Lip and Olivia stood beside the bed. All three were naked.

Chuu yelped in surprise, covering her eyes.

When the girls had gathered their clothes and gotten dressed, they sat down at the dining room table. All but Olivia, who paced back and forward a few feet away.

“So, your family is cursed? How?”

“No one knows how,” Kim Lip explained, “It’s been this way for hundreds of years, as long as there was any record of the DeLune family.”

Chuu suddenly understood so much. The way that Yves acted, and the story about her pushing that boy. If she had transformed in the middle of school, that would have caused lots of trouble! It must be so hard for them.

“My presence here must have been very stressful for you,” Chuu said apologetically “Keeping a secret like that sounds really tough. Is there anything I can do?”

“Well, obviously we’d appreciate it if you kept this quiet. I’ll have to talk to the head of the family and tell her what happened,” Kim Lip said.

“Other than that, your presence here isn’t stressful at all,” Yves added, “All you have to do for us is be yourself.”

“Well said,” Kim Lip nodded, “We really enjoy having you around.”

“Hey mutt,” Yves said, her tone turning cold, “I think you owe Chuu an apology.”

“Whatever, ugly,” Olivia huffed, “I came here for one thing and one thing only.”

“I don’t suppose it’s to mow the lawn?”

“I’m here to kick your ass!!” Olivia yelled angrily, “And this time your dumbass girlfriend won’t get in my way!”

“Oh, I’m not--” Chuu started.

“Fine,” Yves stood abruptly, “Let’s get this over with.”

“If you guys are gonna fight, can you please do it outside?” Kim Lip whined, “You guys always make a mess and break things.”

“Fight??” Chuu exclaimed. The girls were already leaving the house, as if this were all normal.

“Come on,” Kim Lip smiled, holding out a hand. Chuu took it.

They walked outside together to see Olivia and Yves facing each other in the front yard.

“Try and make this a good fight,” Yves said nonchalantly, “I’m not in the mood to take it easy on you like I usually do.”

Chuu had a vice grip on Kim Lip’s hand, terrified. She hoped Yves didn’t get hurt.

“Don’t worry. They do this all the time, and Yves seems pissed off, so it’ll be over quickly.”

“Screw you!” Olivia snapped, lunging for Yves with a right hook.

Chuu closed her eyes in fear. When she opened them, she gasped.

The two girls were going back and forward, hitting, kicking, and blocking at shocking speeds.

“Many DeLune children grow up doing martial arts,” Kim Lip explained, “It’s tradition.”

Suddenly, Yves landed a kick that sent Olivia flying into the bushes.

“I told you I wouldn’t go easy on you,” Yves said coldly.

Chuu’s jaw was practically on the floor. She let go of Kim Lips hand and went to Yves.

“Are you okay?”

Yves smiled down at her, not a hair out of place, “I’m fine.”

Chuu was glad, but she felt bad for Olivia. She didn’t know anything about her but she seemed so sad as she emerged from the bushes, her hair a mess and her clothes covered in leaves.

“I hope this interruption to our usual schedule didn’t ruin your plans for dinner,” Yves said.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Chuu gasped, she looked at her phone to check the time. She had just enough time to whip up a quick meal and make it in time for her shift at the bakery. She ran inside to cook.

* * *

 

“Phew,” Chuu puffed as she arrived at the bakery, “Just in time.” She turned as she heard rapid footsteps approaching behind her.

It was the girl who had come to the bakery before. She stopped next to Chuu, out of breath as well.

“Thank god,” she panted, “I made it before closing.”

“Yep,” Chuu said brightly. She was here to man the counter for the last ten minutes, and then close up the shop and clean for the night.

They went in and Chuu put on her apron while the girl ordered from the other employee.

“Have a good night!” The girl waved goodbye as she left.

“You too!” Chuu called back.

Chuu spent the rest of the night happily sweeping, kneading dough, and humming to herself.

_I never would have believed that Yves was so good at fighting. I’ve never seen anything like what happened today, except in action movies. I think you’d like Yves a lot, Mom. I know you got in a lot of fights yourself when you were young._

Chuu was surprised to see Kim Lip outside when she locked up the bakery, leaning against a car.

“Hey,” she said, “I had to drive up to the DeLune house to talk to the head of the family, so I figured I’d pick you up on my way back so you don’t have to walk.”

“Thank you! That’s very nice of you.”

Chuu climbed into the passenger side and was surprised to see Olivia sulking in the back seat.

“The good news is, the head of the family says you can stay with us, as long as you keep our secret. The… other news is that Olivia is coming to live with us too.”

* * *

 

“SHE’S WHAT?” Yves voice rang through the house.

Chuu had a feeling the house was going to get a bit louder from now on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter titles are hard???


	7. You and Me Together

_(10 years ago)_

“Heejin, come here and let me put your hair up! You’re getting it all dirty!”

Heejin skipped over to her mother from where she was playing with the other children. While her mother was putting her hair in pigtails, a girl caught Heejin’s eye.

She was sitting in the shade of a tree a little ways off from the other children, drawing in the dirt with a stick all alone. Her long, black hair hung so that it covered her face.

“Mama, who’s that?”

“That’s the cat, darling. Stay away from her.”

“But why?”

“Your hair is done, go back and play with the others.”

Heejin did as she was told, but continued to watch the girl from the corner of her eye. Over the next few days, Heejin learned more about the girl. Her name was Hyunjin, and she never played with any of the other cursed children. Instead she sat alone and drew pictures of bread in the dirt.

“The cat is evil,” said Vivi.

“But why?”

Vivi shrugged, “I don’t know. That’s just what all the grown ups say.”

Later, Heejin saw Jinsoul swimming laps in the pool. She sat down at the edge of the pool and put her feet in the water. She watched Jinsoul for a while, the sunset reflecting beautifully off of the water.

After a while, Jinsoul stopped to take a break. She took her swim cap off before turning around and seeing Heejin.

“What are you doing here, Heekki?”

Jinsoul was 6 years older than her, so Heejin thought that she might know more.

“I have a question.”

Jinsoul swam up to her lazily before resting her arms and head on the edge of the pool.

“Go ahead.”

“Why do people say that the cat is evil?”

“Don’t you remember the story, Heejin?” Jinsoul said, “The cat is the one who first ate the forbidden fruit, and convinced the girl to eat it too. He’s the reason we’re all cursed.”

“But the fruit is what gave them freedom.”

“And what did he do with that freedom?” Jinsoul asked nonchalantly, “He killed the rabbit.”

* * *

 

That night, Heejin woke up screaming from a nightmare. When her mother ran in, Heejin was sobbing about being killed by the cat.

After that, Hyunjin was nowhere to be seen when the children went to play outside. That year, she was missing from the New Year’s banquet.

“Where is the cat?” Heejin overheard two adults talking.

“I heard the parents didn’t want her around their children.”

“Makes sense. The cat doesn’t belong here, just like the wolf.”

For the next four years, Heejin didn’t see Hyunjin again, not until the New Year’s banquet when she was 10 years old.

“Heejin, eat your bread.”

Heejin sulked. She didn’t like the way bread made her stomach feel. Sneakily, she put the bread into her pocket, then asked if she could be excused to use the bathroom.

When she exited the hall, she was surprised to see a girl peeking in through the crack of another door. Heejin recognized the long, glossy, black hair immediately, as if it had been yesterday instead of 4 years ago. The girl noticed her presence and whipped to face her and Heejin came face to face with the bright yellow eyes from her young nightmares.

_The cat killed the rabbit._

Heejin was frozen, and her mind went blank. For a second, she was terrified, but it faded quickly. Suddenly, all that she could think was that girl looked so beautiful, and so sad. The girl stared at her, completely still.

Remembering the bread in her pocket, Heejin started to reach for it. Suddenly, Hyunjin turned and ran off in the other direction.

“Hey! Wait!” Heejin didn’t know why, but she chased after Hyunjin.

They ran through the main house and outside.

“Come back!”

Heejin chased her into a garden. There, Hyunjin ran into a dead end. She turned around to see Heejin cornering her.

“Hey, listen,” Heejin panted, “I don’t wanna hurt you. I was just gonna give you this.” She held out the bread.

Hyunjin tried to side step past Heejin, but Heejin blocked her path, “Stop running away!”

Suddenly, Hyunjin pushed Heejin down onto the ground.

“Hey!”

Hyunjin started to leave but Heejin grabbed her ankle and tripped her.

“Just,” Heejin spat out as Hyunjin tried to wiggle away, “EAT THE BREAD!”

That’s how the adults found them, wrestling in the dirt.

Heejin was ready to be scolded, but was surprised to hear the adults speak as if she were the victim.

“I was so worried when you disappeared from the banquet I should have known the cat had something to do with it.”

“You know you’re not allowed near the banquet, what were you thinking?”

“Heejin has always been a good child, and now we find her wrestling with you in the dirt?”

Heejin wanted to speak up. This wasn’t fair. She had chased Hyunjin first. And yes, they had wrestled in the dirt, but Heejin had a feeling that that wasn’t what the adults were angry about at all. It was like they were mad at Hyunjin for even associating with her. Now she understood why Hyunjin had run.

But she kept quiet, because she wasn’t used to being in trouble. Hyunjin just hung her head and took it without a word.

* * *

 

The next week, Heejin snuck off during playtime. She made her way to Hyunjins house. She snuck around the gardens there until she found Hyunjiin playing alone with a ball.

Heejin stayed hidden and watched. She wondered if Hyunjin had played here by herself every day since they were 6. After a while, she left, resolving to come back the next day.

The next time she came, she brought a small crescent roll wrapped in plastic wrap. She found Hyunjin playing again easily. Then, she snuck and placed the bread somewhere she knew Hyunjin would find it, near the exit to the garden. She hid nearby, and when Hyunjin went to leave, Heejin watched her find the bread.

Hyunjin picked it up and looked around curiously. Heejin quickly ducked down into her hiding spot when she looked her way. She peeked back out and watched Hyunjin shrug and eat the bread before walking away.

Heejin did this every day for the next week. She knew that she couldn’t do this forever, but she hoped that, if she gave her enough bread, Hyunjin wouldn’t run away when she realized it was her.

It was just like any other day. Heejin was putting the bread in the usual spot, when she heard a voice behind her.

“What are you doing?”

Heejin jumped in surprise and turned around to see Hyunjin standing there.

“Oh! So you do talk!” Heejin laughed awkwardly.

Hyunjin flushed angrily, “Of course I do. Why have you been leaving me bread? I saw you four days ago.”

“Then why did you keep eating it?”

“I like bread.”

Heejin giggled, “I know. I remember you used to draw it in the sand.”

“So what do you want?”

“Well,” Heejin looked down, scuffing her foot in the dirt, “I felt bad. I got you in trouble.”

“Okay, you’re forgiven. You can stop giving me bread now,” Hyunjin turned to leave.

“Wait! I didn’t just feel bad. I wanted to be friends.”

Hyunjin turned back around, “Friends? Why?”

“I don’t know… You just seem sad and alone.”

Hyunjin scowled, “I don’t need you to be my friend because you feel bad for me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Heejin said quickly, “I just meant, I don’t think it’s fair what people say about you. I don’t think you’re evil. So, I want to be friends with you just like I’m friends with Vivi and Yeojin and Choerry.”

“But I’m not like them. I’m the cat. You’re the rabbit. Aren’t you scared?”

“No.”

Hyunjin gave her a disbelieving look.

“I mean it! Listen, I hate bread, and you like it. It works out perfect! I can give you all the bread I don’t want from dinner. AND, I can teach you some fun ball games for two people!”

Hyunjin thought for a second.

“Fine. As long as you keep bringing bread.”

Heejin grinned, “Deal!”

* * *

 

From then on, Heejin and Hyunjin would meet in secret and play. Heejin came to love Hyunjin’s dry sense of humor, and Hyunjin loved it when Heejin braided her hair. They would play make-believe and sing songs together.

When they started middle school, Heejin started to get bolder about their friendship. Hyunjin protested at first, but Heejin insisted on walking with her to school, and inviting her to eat lunch with Vivi and the others. The other children were shocked at first, but took it in stride.

It was the adults who didn’t take it as well. The problem with adults is that they seem to think that children can never hear or understand what they’re saying. Hyunjin understood them perfectly well.

_Can you believe Heejin’s mother is letting her play with the cat?_

_Heejin is a perfect student, hopefully this doesn’t affect her grades._

Hyunjin could feel the anger building up inside her. She started lashing out and getting in trouble at school.

_What else could you expect from the cat? Getting in fights at school._

_She should be private tutored and kept away from other children._

_It’s only a matter of time before she hurts Heejin._

_She’s a bad influence on the prodigy rabbit._

“Hyunjin, let’s go swimming. I’m hot.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Okay… Wanna get ice cream?”

“No.”

Hyunjin laid in the grass, staring up at the clouds.

“Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

Heejin was quiet for a moment.

“What’s been up with you lately? You’ve been acting weird.”

“If I’m acting so weird, maybe you should just go home,”’ Hyunjin snapped.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you??”

Hyunjin sat up, “Everything is wrong with me! Haven’t you heard?? I’m just a useless cat!”

“You know I don’t think that,” Heejin said softly.

“You think I don’t hear everyone? ‘Oh, Heejin is so perfect and the cat is so rotten!’ And maybe they’re right! Maybe you should stay away from me!”

She knew Heejin would eventually realize that she was no good. She’d been feeling so angry and violent these past few months, just like the cat in the story.

“I’m sorry.”

Hyunjin froze, taken aback. Heejin sat down next to her.

“I hear them too,” Heejin tore a piece of grass out of the ground and fiddled with it,  “I guess I just knew they were wrong, so I never let it bother me. I never realized that you were hurting. Maybe I was being selfish. I wanted to be your friend so bad, and to prove them all wrong, that I didn’t realize that my friendship might be causing you pain. If it hurts too much, I could leave you alone, if you think that would be better.”

Hyunjin didn’t even realize that she was crying until she tasted her own tears. She shook her head.

“I don’t want you to leave me alone,” she sobbed, “I want us to stay together.”

Heejin wrapped Hyunjin in a hug and let Hyunjin cry on her shoulder.

“Me too.”

As they sat there in the grass, Hyunjin felt all of her anger slowly dissipate and float off with the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey side story whaddup  
> Decided to post this as the update today as I try to decide where to go next with Chuu's storyline. Mostly just trying to decide who I want Chuu to meet next/ how to get into some of the characters' back story. Is there anyone you guys really want to meet next? I've got mostly everyone's story decided, just figuring out the order to present them in.  
> Because I realize this might get confusing cause this is the first time I've explicitly said ages, present day ages for reference are:  
> Chuu, Yves, Vivi: 17  
> Heejin and Hyunjin: 16  
> Kim Lip and Jinsoul: 22  
> Choerry and Yeojin: 13  
> (Just doing the ones I've mentioned in the story thus far for now)


	8. Damn

Chuu could taste the tension in the air. Since Olivia was coming to live with them, she was enrolled at Chuu and Yves’ school. It was their first morning walking together, and it was… awkward to say the least. Chuu tried to be her usual cheerful and chatty self, but she could tell her words were going right past Yves. Olivia never spoke to Chuu, as if she didn’t exist. 

“Ah, Olivia, you must be really smart,” Chuu piped up, “You didn’t even have time to prepare for the entrance exam but you still got in!”

“The DeLune family gives the school lots of money,” Yves said, “they could never say no. Don’t give the mutt credit for it.”

“What the hell do you know?” Olivia bristled, “For all you know I could have aced it!”

“Doubt it,” Yves scoffed.

“Well, if you have any trouble catching up,” Chuu scrambled, trying to alleviate the rising tension, “I can let you see my notes! It’s tough to start in the middle of the semester!”

“Yeah right, as if I’d want notes from an airhead like you.”

“Don’t speak to Chuu like that!” Yves snapped, “All you ever do is complain about dinner and treat her like garbage.”

“I’m just saying, all vegetables and rice isn’t a meal! I need meat! I can’t survive on a vegetarian diet!”

“I’ll make sure to get some meat from the store this week!” Chuu offered.

“Stop being so nice to her Chuu, she doesn’t deserve it.”

Chuu sighed. It appeared there was nothing she could do. She could feel the anger buzzing between the two girls like electricity. 

Luckily, they soon arrived at the school. Olivia was introduced, and unsurprisingly caused quite a wave of murmurs. 

After class, a bunch of students swarmed around Olivia’s desk.

“Are you really Yves’ cousin?”

“You’re so pretty, what’s your skincare routine?”

“Do you wanna be my partner for this week’s project?”

Olivia seemed flustered, but pleased.

“Want to eat lunch with us?”

“Uh, sure,” Olivia said.

“Here, let’s take a selfie together!” A student leaned in and tried to put her arm around Olivia. Olivia flinched away, taking a few steps away.

“Uh… actually,” she stuttered, “I gotta go!” With that, she ran out of the classroom.

“That was weird.”

Chuu watched Olivia run off, worried. She hoped Olivia would be okay. Yves rolled her eyes and got up.

“Come on.”

Chuu followed Yves around to the back of the school, where they found Olivia sitting with her back against the wall. 

“You’ve got to learn to blend in more,” Yves said.

“I didn’t realize people were so touchy-feely.”

“Well Olivia is very popular!” Chuu said, “It’s not surprising at all!”

“Popularity is dangerous for people like us,” Yves said, “Next time, don’t be so friendly with them.”

“Why the hell did you insist on going to a school with all these people if you weren’t going to make friends?”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

Olivia stood up, “Actually, I understand perfectly! You’re just mad that, for once, people like me more than they like you!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. They don’t like you. You’re just a shiny new distraction. But if you’re not careful, you’re going to screw things up for us!”

“The only thing I’m going to screw up is your face!” Olivia yelled, balling up her fist and cocking it back.

Chuu panicked, “Wait!” She did the only thing she could think to do-- she jumped forward and hugged Olivia.

POOF. Chuu landed on her knees as Olivia transformed.

Clearly, Chuu hadn’t thought this through, because all she had achieved was turning Olivia into something much more dangerous, which was currently growling in her face.

“I’m sorry!” Chuu said quickly, “It’s just that, you can’t fight at school or you’ll get in a lot of trouble! I didn’t know--”

“Shut up!” Olivia barked at her, “How about you mind your own damn business! You’re such an idiot!! I’m getting sick of looking at your stupid--” she stopped short at the look on Chuu’s face. 

Chuu got up quietly, “I’m sorry.” She turned and left.

_ Wow, she hates me. She really really hates me. How could I be so dumb?  _

Olivia watched her go, regret showing on her lupine face.

“You shouldn’t take your anger out on Chuu. She’s a good person.”

“Whatever…” Olivia muttered.

“If you let her, she might even be your friend.”

With that, Yves left. 

* * *

 

Olivia didn’t show up for the rest of the school day. Yves walked Chuu to the bakery for work.

“Don’t let what Olivia said bother you too much,” Yves said, “That’s just how she is. It’s not your fault.”

“Okay,” Chuu smiled, but Yves could tell that Chuu was still sad, “I left tonight’s dinner in the fridge with instructions on how to reheat it.”

“We’ll try not to burn the house down,” Yves joked.

“I believe in you!” Chuu said confidently.

Chuu couldn’t help but be weighed down during her shift.

_ Mom, I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had anyone hate me like this before. I made her so angry.  _

Chuu did her best to muster up a smile when the girl with the cat and rabbit charms came in again. 

She felt like she had to find a way to make it up to Olivia. Or maybe Olivia would just prefer it if Chuu left her alone. 

It was dark when she left for work, but Chuu was too preoccupied to be nervous. That was, until she heard a branch snap behind her, along with footsteps.

Chuu tensed up. Was it a robber? A murderer? 

She picked up her pace, she was getting closer to home. It wouldn’t be much longer…

“Hey,” a voice said from right behind her. 

“Ahh! Stay away from me!” Chuu screamed, swinging her bag and hitting the stranger in the face.

Except, it wasn’t a stranger.

“Olivia!” Chuu said in shock.

“I understand why you’re scared of me,” Olivia said in a monotone, “I’ll just go.”

“No wait!” Chuu said, “I’m sorry. I thought you were a murderer or something! But I feel much better now that I know it’s just you.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Olivia said, rubbing her neck, “After today… If you were upset, I’d understand. I’m not very good at controlling my temper.”

Chuu looked at Olivia curiously. Was she trying to apologize?

“Anyways, I don’t hate you, but I can leave you alone if you want…”

“No!” Chuu said loudly, “I don’t hate you either! I actually like you a lot!”

Olivia looked shocked, “But you barely know me.”

“I know but I can tell that you’re a good person! I know that you and Yves don’t get along well, but maybe we can still be friends!”

“Um…” Olivia felt oddly intimidated at Chuu’s bright and easy grin, “Okay.”

“Chuu? Olivia?” Kim Lip’s voice called from the house, “Is that you I hear out there? I know you’re desperate for meat Olivia but you can’t eat our chef!”

“Shut up Kim Lip!” Olivia yelled, embarrassed. 

* * *

 

The next night, Chuu was surprised to see Yves waiting outside the bakery after her shift.

“Last night made me realize it’s probably not safe for you to walk home alone. Sorry I didn’t start walking you home sooner.”

“What?? No I couldn’t ask you to go out of your way!” 

“It really isn’t out of the way,” Yves smiled, “I like taking walks.”

“Well thank you very much, I feel a lot safer now!”

As they made their way home, the wind started to pick up. Yves looked up at the sky.

“It looks like it’s going to storm,” she said.

Chuu remembered the last time it stormed. That was how all this had started. Now she had a home instead of a tent and three kind people to live with.

“Can we make a detour?” Yves said suddenly.

“Where to?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Chuu followed Yves off of the path and into the trees until they reached a small clearing. In the center was a little garden.

“What a cute garden! There’s so many vegetables!” Chuu bent over to look at the small red peppers. 

“Well, as you know, Kim Lip and I are no good at cooking, so we never had much use for these before. But maybe these would be helpful for you. I think a few of them should be ripe soon.”

“I never would have guessed that you liked gardening!”

“It’s a little secret of mine. Coming here and taking care of them relaxes me. I guess it’s nice to know that there’s something that relies on me to exist,” Yves looked away, “I don’t know. It’s stupid.” Yves went over to a nearby bin and pulled out a tarp with some stakes.

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all! I think everyone wants to feel like someone out there needs them. But sometimes we’re so busy trying not to be a bother to people that we forget. When I was in middle school, I remember I told my mom to stop coming to walk me home from school because I felt like I was wasting her time. Later she told me it actually made her sad because she loved walking home with me. It was sad to realize that her daughter didn’t need her anymore.” Chuu looked up to see Yves staring at her with a blank expression. “Ah, what I mean is, I think it’s normal. Everyone wants to be needed, to hear ‘my life is better because you’re in it.’” Chuu always got caught up telling stories about her mom. It was probably boring for Yves.

“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Yves said softly.

Suddenly, it was raining.

“Quick!” Chuu said, taking one end of the tarp from Yves hands. Together they spread it over the garden and fastened it down with spikes. The wind tried its best to blow the tarp from their hands, but they managed to hold on.

After they finished, they ran home in the rain. When they reached the shelter of the porch, they stopped, panting.

“I hope we don’t catch colds!” Chuu laughed.

“You can take a warm bath first,” Yves said, “Thank you.”

“Of course! Anything to protect the precious vegetables!”

“But also,” Yves said seriously, “Thank you for what you said.”

Chuu didn’t know what to say. Yves gaze was intense in a way that Chuu was unaccustomed to.

“I’m thinking we should plant some strawberries,” Yves said suddenly.

Chuu gasped and lit up immediately, “I LOVE strawberries! They’re my favorite!”

Yves chuckled and smiled warmly down at her, “I thought you might say that.”

And there it was. Up until now, Yves’ smile had always just felt polite, like she was putting it on for those around her instead of herself. But now Chuu could see that she was smiling from the inside, and it was stunning. All this time she’d been hiding this cute little smile. 

Chuu could feel her cheeks heating up and her heart pounding. 

_ Wow. _


	9. Every Day I Love You

“Aah, Chuu. That really was a delicious breakfast,” Kim Lip stretched her arms over her head and rubbed her stomach, “Thank you.”

It was a bright sunday morning and the four of them sat around the table. It was the most peaceful meal they had had so far.

“Yes, it was very good,” Yves agreed.

“I’m glad you liked it!” Chuu said happily.

Yves and Kim Lip turned to look at Olivia expectantly. She was absentmindedly twirling her spoon.

Olivia looked up, “What?”

Yves cocked an eyebrow.

“Uhh,” Chuu piped up hesitantly, “Did you enjoy breakfast, Olivia?”

Olivia looked at Chuu’s eager, and the others’ expectant faces. 

“What the hell are you staring at?” Olivia snapped at Yves, feeling oddly trapped.

Yves rolled her eyes and looked away, “Nothing.”

Olivia clenched her fist. Then she turned back to see Chuu’s shining eyes still locked on her, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Olivia grumbled.

Chuu beamed back at her, “Yay! I’m so glad!”

“Yeah whatever…” Olivia flushed.

The sound of a loud knock on the door interrupted the quiet. The three younger girls looked towards the front door, confused.

“Ah, she’s early,” Kim Lip said ominously. 

“Who’s here?” Yves asked sharply. The knocking started again, louder and faster this time, as if someone was desperately banging on the door.

Chuu jumped up, “I’ll get it!” 

The knocking was getting even faster and louder, as if they would break down the door at any second.

“Chuu, no!” Yves suddenly called, but it was too late. Chuu was opening the door.

She came face to face with a cute, diminutive girl. She had light pink hair and large matching pink doe eyes. Chuu found it hard to believe that such a sweet and small girl could have been knocking that loudly.

“Um,” the girl said shyly, “Are you Chuu Kim?”

“Yes I am!” Chuu replied, curious as to who this strange girl was.

“My name is Vivi. Vivi Delune.”

Chuu gasped.  _ Another Delune! Is she an animal from the legend as well? _

“Is… is Yves here?” 

“Yes she is!” Chuu turned away from the door to look into the dining room. She was surprised to see Yves trying to sneak away from the table towards the stairs. Before she could say anything, however, Vivi pushed past her and ran inside.

“Yves!!” The small girl launched herself at Yves and tackled her to the ground.

Chuu watched in shock as Yves struggled in Vivi’s crushing hug.

“Please try not to break anything this time, Vivi,” Kim Lip sighed.

“I missed you so much!! How could you forget to call me?”

“Who says I forgot?” Yves snapped, “Why would I want to call you?”

“Because we’re going to get married!”

Chuu gasped, “You’re engaged?! That’s wonderful!”

“Since when??” Yves yelled. Vivi’s grip on Yves was starting to look more and more like a wrestling body lock than a hug.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” Kim Lip smirked.

“Shut up Kim Lip!”

“Don’t you remember? When we were kids you asked me to marry you!”

“Only because you kept me locked in the closet until I did!”

Olivia sighed, “It’s been like this for years. Yves could probably get away if she tried, but she can’t bring herself to hurt Vivi. It’s really annoying.”

“But marriage between two animals from the legend are beautiful,” Vivi gushed, “We’re the only ones who can truly understand the other’s pain, and we can hug as much as we want without transforming!”

“I don’t want to hug you at all!”

Vivi finally let go, kneeling and looking at Yves with shining eyes, “Tell me the truth Yves! Do you like me? Do you hate me? I like you! I love you more than anything in the world! Anything in the universe!” 

Yves was still trapped by her gaze, even if her arms had let go. 

“I’ll make you hot meals every day! Even if you cheat on me, I’ll forgive you! I’m the only one who loves you this much! I think I’m the only one for you! Don’t you think so too??”

“Uhh…” Yves said, looking away.

“I just told you what you think!” Vivi said, a dangerous glint forming in her eye, “Now say it!”

“Alright, alright, how about we just calm down,” Kim Lip said, “Vivi, would you like some breakfast? Chuu made a delicious meal and I think there’s still some left.”

Within seconds, Vivi was sitting at the table, switched back into her cute and quiet self. The difference in intensity was like night and day. Yves sat very reluctantly next to her.

“I’m sorry,” Vivi said, picking at her food, “I just got so overwhelmed with love that I lost control.”

“It’s alright,” Kim Lip smiled, “I’m just glad that you didn’t break another television.”

“I just had to come,” Vivi said, “I heard there was some strange woman living with Yves and I just couldn’t take the thought of it!”

“Well, Chuu and Yves  _ have _ been getting very close,” Kim Lip said mischievously. 

Yves shot Kim Lip a glare.

“I knew it!” Vivi shot up, “A rival! But I won’t lose!” She leaned over to get as close to Chuu as she could, “What’s your favorite thing about Yves? ‘Cause I love everything! I love her good and bad qualities! And I know everything about her! I know she’s a beautiful dancer! And I was the one who would always comfort her after Jiw--”

Yves hand suddenly covered Vivi’s mouth, “Shut up.”

The entire table froze in shock.

“Don’t say another word, or I’ll never forgive you,” Yves said darkly.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Vivi bit hard down on Yves’ hand.

“Ow!” Yves said, pulling away.

“How could you say that to me??” Vivi yelled, “What do you mean you’ll never forgive me??” 

“Oh!” Chuu remembered, “the laundry should be done!”

She stood up and ran out of the room.

“Really Kim Lip,” Yves said, massaging her hand, “You even have her doing laundry? She’s not a servant.”

Kim Lip shrugged, “She insisted. I guess she’s just really eager to help out.”

Vivi stared at the doorway that Chuu had just gone through.

* * *

 

_ Wow _ , Chuu thought _ , I can’t believe I’ve met another cursed member of the family. I wonder what animal she is. She really seems to love Yves a lot. She’s so intense! _

She pulled the wet clothes out of the washer and put them in the basket.

“Is that Yves laundry?” I quiet voice asked from behind her.

“Oh!” Chuu turned around, “You scared me! No, these are Olivia’s clothes, I’m doing Yves’ next,” she gestured to another basket full of clothes. Vivi grabbed it.

“Please! Let me wash them!”

“Uh…” Chuu said, “I don’t know…”

“Please! I really want to! I can do it!” Vivi pleaded.

“Well, alright, if you insist,” Chuu smiled.

“Thank you!!”

Chuu took the basket of wet clothes to go hang them, leaving Vivi alone in the laundry room.

“Now how many scoops should I use…” Vivi pondered, “Two? Hmm… Maybe one more… And one more just for love… and--”

* * *

 

Chuu was hanging the laundry on the line outside when Olivia came out the front door.

“Hi Olivia!” Chuu called. Olivia walked over.

“Where are you going?” Chuu asked brightly.

“I just had to get out of that house,” Olivia grumbled, “It gets so loud and annoying when that girl is here.”

“Well after I hang these up, I have to make a quick run to the store,” Chuu said, “You could come with me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Olivia shrugged.

Chuu hung up the remaining clothes and ran inside to get her wallet. 

Together they walked to the store. Chuu was deep in thought as they walked in silence.

“Hey! Watch out!” Olivia grabbed Chuu’s wrist.

“Huh?” Chuu snapped out of her thoughts.

“You were about to walk into traffic you airhead.”

“Oh, sorry,” Chuu put a hand on the back of her head, smiling bashfully.

“How do you survive the trip when I’m not here?” They made their way across the now clear street.

“Yves usually goes with me!” Chuu exclaimed.

Olivia rolled her eyes, “What were you thinking about anyways?”

“I was just thinking about Vivi… Is it rude to ask what animal she is?”

“Nah, she’s the deer. It doesn’t really suit her.”

Chuu agreed, partially. Vivi could be very loud and forceful with Yves, but when she was calm she seemed very timid and cute just like a deer. 

“Yves is so lucky to have someone who loves her so much,” Chuu said warmly.

“Ugh, who cares about that duck?”

“Isn’t Yves a swan though?” Chuu asked.

“Hardly,” Olivia scoffed, “You’ve seen it. It’s like if I turned into a puppy and tried to call myself a wolf.”

Chuu thought that’d be really cute, but kept that thought to herself.

* * *

 

Yves was reading a book on the front porch when she heard a yell from inside.

“Oh no!”

Yves got up and ran into the house and towards the source of the yell-- the laundry room.

She found Vivi wading waist deep in bubbles that were pouring out of the washing machine.

“What the hell happened??” Yves said.

“I don’t know! I was just washing your clothes!” Vivi cried.

“How much detergent did you use??”

“All of it??”

Next thing she knew, bubbles were everywhere, flooding the hallway.

Kim Lip entered, stopping at the sight.

“Vivi! What did you do now?” 

“I’m sorry!!”

“Wait… Do I smell burning?” Kim Lip asked.

“Oh no! The tea!” Vivi burst out of the mountain of bubbles and ran into the kitchen. She had left the teapot on the stove for too long, and it was whistling loudly. Vivi grabbed it, but the handle was too hot and she dropped it with a scream. The hot teapot caught the rug on fire, which caught the curtain on fire.

“Ahhh!!!” Vivi yelled.

“What did you do??” Yves yelled from the doorway.

“I’m sorry!!” 

Kim Lip ran into the kitchen with the fire extinguisher and sprayed it everywhere, getting the white foam all over Yves and Vivi.

“Sometimes I feel like you come over just to destroy my house Vivi,” Kim Lip sighed.

* * *

 

Their time in the store was short, even though Olivia convinced Chuu to go to the meat section of the store. 

On their way back, Chuu caught Olivia staring across the street absentmindedly, almost running into a pole.

“No you’re the one not watching where you’re going,” Chuu giggled.

Olivia flushed, embarrassed.

Chuu looked at what Olivia was staring at-- an arcade.

“Oh! Do you like video games Olivia?”

“Uh, yeah…” Olivia said reluctantly.

“We should go inside then!”

“What about the groceries? Will the meat go bad?”

“We can make it quick!” Chuu said, already heading towards the arcade.

They played a few games together. Chuu wasn’t very good, but Olivia topped the scoreboard on every game she played.

“Wow Olivia!” Chuu said, “You’re amazing!! You must REALLY like video games.”

They had just finished a racing game.

“Yeah I played a lot when I was a kid,” Olivia said, pleased, “I used to participate in tournaments. No one could beat me! It’s just so much fun to be able to go on a wild adventure with just the click of a button. Magic worlds, sci-fi worlds, spy stories! It’s like watching a movie but the main character is you!”

Chuu had never seen Olivia so excited about anything. It was so nice to see that usually scowling face so bright for once.

“Ah, but this is probably boring to you…” Olivia said suddenly, embarrassed by her little rant.

“Not at all!” Chuu reassured, “I mean, I don’t know much about games and I’m not very good, but I think it’s very interesting! Especially hearing you talk about it, it gets me excited to play too! We should come here more often!”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Olivia said softly.

“Although, your life is so interesting, just like a story too! It’s like you’re the main character of your own magical adventure already!”

Olivia’s expression turned solemn, “It’s not as magical as it seems.”

They made the rest of the trip home in silence. They were both shocked to find the mess that awaited them at home.

“I’m not even going to ask what happened,” Olivia said, “I’ll be in my room.”

Vivi was cleaning the kitchen floor with a mop, dejected.

“Here, let me help!” Chuu said, stepping forward.

“No!” Vivi said, “I did this. It’s my fault so I’ll clean it.”

“But it’s so much work…”

“I know but I can do it! Please.”

“Okay…” Chuu resigned. 

“She said the same thing to me,” Kim Lip shrugged as Chuu went into the living room, “Looks like we’ll be ordering takeout for dinner.”

“Where’s Yves?” Chuu asked.

“She’s hiding up on the roof.”

Chuu ate dinner with Olivia and Kim Lip, but Vivi refused to stop cleaning until she was finished and Yves hadn’t come down from the roof yet.

“Vivi and Yves still haven’t eaten yet…” Chuu said.

“Hmm,” Kim Lip said, “I’m pretty sure Yves has always wanted to push me off of a roof, so I’m not quite brave enough to go up there. Vivi, I think I can risk.”

Kim Lip took Vivi’s dinner to the kitchen. 

Chuu took the other dinner and went outside. She found a ladder and used it to climb up to the roof.

“Aren’t you cold up here?”

Yves jumped a little, startled by Chuu’s sudden appearance.

“No, it’s not so bad.”

“I brought your dinner.”

“Thanks.”

They sat there quietly while Yves ate.

“Are you going to come down soon?” 

“Not while she’s down there. I never get any peace when she’s around,” Yves said, frustrated, “I really don’t get her, talking about marriage like she doesn’t know any better.”

“I think it’s wonderful!”

“Really?” Yves asked incredulously.

“Yes! She has so much love! And she decided at a young age what she wanted and she’s stuck to that dream! Lots of little girls dream about getting married.”

“I guess…”

Yves sighed, looking up at the stars.

“Is it true that you like to dance?” Chuu asked curiously.

“I haven’t danced in years,” Yves shook her head.

“Why not?”

“It’s a long story…”

Chuu hated seeing the sad look on Yves’ face. She jumped up suddenly.

“I have a few moves myself!” she proclaimed. She started to dance energetically, her face scrunched up in concentration, her limbs moving wildly. She ended with a final pose.

Yves let out a noise, choking back laughter before giving in and giggling. Just like her smile, her real laugh was beautiful to Chuu. She could feel her heart give a loud thump.

“Was I really that bad?” Chuu smiled.

“No,” Yves said between giggles, “You were amazing.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Vivi left with the others as they went off to school. When it was time for them to split off, Vivi gave Yves one last hug. Yves begrudgingly didn’t fight back.

“It’s really nice to see that you and Olivia are starting to get along again,” Vivi smiled.

“As if!” Olivia snapped.

“Getting along again?” Chuu wondered out loud. 

“Just ignore her,” Yves said, shaking her head.

“You better call me this time!” Vivi said, making her way down the street.

“Bye Vivi!!” Chuu waved after her. 

“Bye Chuu! If you touch my fiancee I’ll skin you alive!” 

Chuu laughed nervously while Yves rolled her eyes.

They made their way to school together. Chuu was excited. Every day with the DeLunes was like a new adventure, and she couldn’t wait to learn more about the family. Even more so, she couldn’t wait to learn more and more about Yves and Olivia, to uncover the different unseen sides of them. Who knew what the future would hold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update guys! Steven Universe briefly took over my life!


	10. Like the Moon Spinning Around the Earth

That day, Chuu went to the school’s library. She was so suddenly inspired to learn about Yves’ and Olivia’s interests, their likes and dislikes. She picked up a few books about gardening and video games, and even a book called “The Art of Movement.” She hoped that by learning more about their passions, she could understand the two of them a little better. 

During homeroom, an adult came into the class. “Ms. Kim? You have a call in the office.”

Chuu followed him to the office and picked up the phone.

“Oh, hello grandpa!” She said cheerfully. Then, “...Oh.”

* * *

 

“The renovations are finished,” Chuu told Kim Lip, Yves, and Olivia at dinner than night. “My grandfather called the school today to tell me.” Chuu tried her best to sound cheerful, “If it’s alright with you, I’ll pack my things today and stay here one more night. I’ll leave in the morning.”

“Of course,” Kim Lip smiled, “Take all the time you need.” 

Olivia and Yves were silent. 

_ I made a mistake.  _

_ I was never going to be more than a temporary guest. I made the mistake… of thinking of them as my family.  _

* * *

 

“Please eat the leftovers in the fridge,” Chuu smiled the next morning, holding her bag, “Oh, and you’re almost out of soy sauce.”

“Got it,” Kim Lip nodded.

“Oh, and here’s my grandfather’s address. Just in case you ever need it,” Chuu didn’t know why they would need it, but to just leave without offering some sort of connection felt wrong. 

“Thank you for taking such good care of us,” Kim Lip said.

“No! I should be thanking you! And don’t worry, I’ll protect your secret!”

Kim Lip patted Chuu’s head, “Just do your best in your new home as well!”

“I will!” 

_ A big mistake. _

Soon, Chuu stood outside of her grandfather’s house.

_ I was foolish. They’re not my family.  _

_ But it’s nothing new. I’m used to being on the outside, looking in.  _

_ Once when I was in elementary school, we were playing a game to help us learn about the solar system. The children would sit in a circle and each child would get the name of a planet. When your planet was called, you had to switch seats. _

_ Boys used to pick on me a lot back then, so when one was assigning planets, I got the moon. _

_ “The moon!” I thought, “It’s beautiful and the one you can see the best at night!” _

_ But the moon wasn’t really a planet, of course. So while all the other children were running around, playing, calling “Venus, Mars, Neptune!” I sat waiting for someone to call out “Moon!” No one did. _

Chuu snapped out her thoughts, straightening her back and walking up to the door. 

* * *

 

“I thought you’d try to stop her,” Kim Lip said casually.

“Why?” said Yves, “We knew it was only until the remodeling was finished.”

“It’s better this way,” Olivia said from her spot on the couch, “It’s not right for an outsider to be here anyway.”

Kim Lip sighed.

_ Then why does it feel like a funeral home in here? _

Yves left the house and went to her garden. She carefully watered the plants, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her eyes caught on the strawberry plants, some of the flowers slowly turning into little berries.

_ “I love strawberries! They’re my favorite!” _

_ “Everyone wants to be needed, to hear ‘my life is better because you’re in it.’” _

Yves sat down in the grass, lying back and looking up at the sky.

Back at the house, Olivia stared at the tv without really seeing what was on it. She was feeling even more angry than usual. But it wasn’t her usual energized anger. It was a dull and heavy anger. 

_ “I actually like you a lot!” _

_ “Wow Olivia! You’re amazing!” _

Olivia flipped over away from the tv, burying her face in the back of the couch.

* * *

 

Chuu put her bag on the bed. She took out the picture of her mom and set it on the table next to the bed.

“Hey, have you finished unpacking yet?” Chuu’s cousin said from the doorway. 

“Ah… no,” Chuu said. She had literally just walked in five seconds ago.

“Well my mom wants to talk to you so just unpack after.”

“Okay,” Chuu stood and followed her cousin out into the hallway.

“I don’t get it,” the girl complained, “What’s the point of renovating the house to make it bigger if I’m just going to share a room anyways?”

Chuu didn’t know how to respond. The two of them went downstairs, where Chuu’s aunt and other cousin were sitting.

“You asked for me?” Chuu said.

“I wanted to discuss something important with you,” Chuu’s aunt said, “You see, my son Sung Min is going to be a police officer so it’s very important that none of his family has a criminal record. I had a detective look into you, and we found that you’ve apparently been living on a private property owned by a very rich family.”

“The DeLune family is actually pretty famous for being mysterious and politically powerful,” Sung Min said, “They’re like a blindspot in all the archives, almost like a mob family.”

“Oh, well…” Chuu started. But what could she say? They liked to keep to themselves because of a family curse?

“If you want to live in this house, you have to stay in line and be upfront and honest with us,” Chuu’s aunt said seriously.

“It doesn’t make sense that you could suddenly get in with such a family,” Sung Min said, smirking, “Unless you were working for them. That house wasn’t… some kind of brothel was it?”

Chuu turned beet red.

Chuu’s grandfather suddenly appeared, hitting Sung Min over the head.

“Ow! Grandpa what the hell?” Sung Min shouted.

“Don’t you know how to do anything but be rude and vulgar?” Chuu’s grandfather asked, “Chuu, don’t think too badly of them. Deep down, they’re just evil people.”

“What??” Chuu’s aunt and cousins said, “How can you say that about your family??”

“They’re taking care of me and my old age, so I have to live with it,” Chuu’s grandfather gave her a soft smile, “But you don’t.”

Chuu looked at him with surprise and confusion.

“Not that I’m trying to chase you out, but I’m afraid you won’t be happy here. You need somewhere where you can spread your wings and be yourself. Your father needed that too. You don’t have to stay here, if there’s someplace you’d rather be.”

_ All you have to do with us is be yourself. _

Chuu looked down, “I couldn’t complain. It wouldn’t be right. I’m so blessed. I had a mom who loved me, the DeLune’s really treated me kindly, and I have a grandfather who is willing to take me in… I’m so lucky. And yet...” 

_ I want to go back... I want to live with the DeLunes. I want to see their faces every morning. I want to learn more about Yves and Olivia. I want to see their smiles. I really hated to leave. Am I spoiled? Selfish? Shouldn’t I be happy with what I have? _

“I wanted to stay,” tears started falling out of Chuu’s eyes, “I wanted to stay with Kim Lip and Yves and Olivia. I… I wanted to stay,” Chuu put her face in her hands.

“Then why don’t you come home?”

Chuu gasped and looked up. Standing next to her was Yves.

“Who the hell are you??” Chuu’s aunt yelled.

Someone suddenly grabbed Chuu’s elbow from behind and pulled her, “Let’s go.”

“Olivia?” Chuu gasped, recognizing the voice. Olivia dragged her outside.

“The door was unlocked, so we let ourselves in,” Yves smiled icily, “Are Chuu’s things upstairs?”

“Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“We came to get Chuu, obviously.”

“So you work at the brothel too then?” Sung Min said.

The glare Yves gave him made him instantly regret his words.

“You’ll keep her name out of your mouth for the rest of your life,” Yves said coldly, “you worthless insect.”

“Olivia, wait!” Chuu said as they walked away from the house, “How did you find me?”

“You’re the one who left the address idiot,” Olivia said, “But your handwriting was terrible so I ended up wandering around with that damn ugly duck all day!”

Chuu was shocked. They had come…  _ together _ … for her? They must have fought the entire way there.

“I don’t even know why I came,” Olivia grumbled, “I don’t know why I got irritated right when you left. And not knowing just made me angrier!”

“I’m sorr-” Chuu started.

“ANYWAY, if you didn’t want to leave, why didn’t you just say so?? Normally people who complain all the time bug the crap out of me, but you never complain about anything,” Olivia looked away, “It’s okay to tell people what you want sometimes, and how you feel. You can be selfish, or sad. It’s not a crime.”

Chuu absorbed Olivia’s words, feeling her tears well up again.

“Oh crap are you crying?” Olivia panicked, “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Chuu hiccuped, “I want to go home.”

“Alright then!” Olivia grabbed Chuu’s hand and yanked her down the sidewalk, “Let’s go.”

Yves came out of the house and caught up, carrying Chuu’s bags. She smiled at Chuu reassuringly. Chuu returned it, blinking the tears out of her eyes. 

_ I really am so lucky _ .

“Looks like the kidnapping was a success!” Kim Lip said joyfully at their return. 

“Do you ever quit Kim Lip?” Yves sighed.

“I hope this is okay… that I came back…” Chuu said bashfully.

“Of course. Just never run away again. You should have seen these two,” Kim Lip laughed.

Yves and Olivia looked away pointedly.

“I’ve never seen Yves so flustered!”

“I was not flustered!” Yves blushed.

“Pfft, liar. You were totally moping,” Olivia scoffed.

“You’re the one who was moping!” Yves snapped back. 

“It’s kind of rough for a home,” Kim Lip said, “But it’s yours if you want it, Chuu.”

“Yes!” Chuu replied brightly.

She was home, with her family.

The moon had finally been called into orbit with the other planets. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA ORBIT (tbh was not my original intention it just worked out that way whaddup)  
> I've been following really closely to the manga for these last two chapters but don't worry there's still more original components I've got coming. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting and leaving kudos! It gives me the motivation I need! <3


	11. Mysterious You, Secretive Me

“I can’t wait for the festival this week!” Chuu exclaimed, “I heard the talent show is going to be really good!” The three girls walked their usual route back home from school. The wind tousled their hair and whistled in the chilly air. Winter was beginning.

“What exactly happens at school festivals?” Olivia asked.

“Didn’t your last school have them?” Chuu asked.

“Ah… This is my first school. I wasn’t allowed to go before this year. I was homeschooled,” Olivia replied, frowning.

“Not allowed?” Chuu said, confused.

Olivia looked uncomfortable. 

Yves piped in, “Are you going to do anything for the talent show, Chuu?”

“Oh no,” Chuu shook her head, “I don’t really have any talents.”

“I don’t know,” Yves smiled, “I’ve heard you singing in the shower. You’re pretty good.”

Chuu flushed scarlet, “I’m really not at all…”

“Nah, the duck is right for once,” Olivia agreed.

“What about you Yves?” Chuu change the subject, “Maybe you could dance for the show!”

Yves didn’t respond. An uncomfortable silence hovered over them.

Chuu had been trying her best to learn more about Yves and Olivia, but it seemed like all she was learning was that they had secrets. Whenever Chuu mentioned dancing, Yves shut down. Although Chuu could feel them getting closer, Yves was still a closed book. So was Olivia.

“What are they doing here?” Olivia said suddenly.

Chuu followed Olivia’s gaze to a bench up ahead, with two people sitting on it. As they approached, the two stood. It was a woman and a young girl.

The young girl skipped up to them, two buns in her brown hair. 

“Hi Yves! Hi Olivia!” she chirped. The girl was so cute and energetic.

“Yeojin, what are you doing here?” Yves asked.

“She insisted on coming along,” the woman said. She had striking features and a much calmer demeanor, “I’m here because you keep skipping your physical therapy appointments.”

“Physical therapy?” Chuu cocked her head.

“This is Haseul, the family doctor,” Yves sighed.

Chuu was surprised. She was so young! Haseul couldn’t be any older than Kim Lip.

“Please,” Haseul said to Yves, “Sit on the bench so I can at least do a quick check-up.”

Yves obeyed reluctantly. Chuu watched curiously as Haseul started examining Yves’ leg, bending it at the knee.

“Chuu! That’s your name, right?” Yeojin said eagerly, bouncing in front of Chuu.

“Yes!” Chuu said.

“I’ve heard about you at the DeLune estate! I couldn’t wait to meet you! You know about the curse, right?” 

“I do!” Could this be another member of the legend?

“Great! That means I can hug you!!” Yeojin reached out. 

Olivia snagged the back of her shirt and held her back, “Oi, brat! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I wanna hug Chuu! She won’t mind if I transform! Right Chuu?”

“I--”

Meanwhile, Yves and Haseul spoke in hushed tones.

“So, that’s the girl I’ve been hearing about. I guess she  _ is _ pretty normal.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yves snapped.

“I can tell you’re tense. Don’t worry. I’m not here for her. Jiwoo still hasn’t changed her mind.”

Yves relaxed a little. As much as she could after hearing that name.

“I have to warn you though, Jiwoo tried to insist on visiting as well. Luckily she had a fever, so I ordered her to stay home for her health. She’s getting restless. You might want to visit her at the estate if you want keep her away from your new home.”

Yves clenched her fist, looking at Chuu and the others.

“We’re in public you idiot! You can’t just transform!” Olivia was shouting as she tried to hold Yeojim back.

Yeojin put on a dramatic pout, “Olivia, I bet you’re just jealous! I bet you keep Chuu all to yourself to hug whenever you want cause she’s so cute!”

Olivia let go in shock, “Who the hell would want to do that?”

“Me!!” Yeojin lept into Chuu’s arms. 

POOF

When the smoke cleared, Chuu was holding a bundle of clothes and… a frog!

“Aw! What a cute little frog!” Chuu exclaimed.

“Yay! She thinks I’m cute!!!” Yeojin hopped up and down before climbing up Chuu’s arms and onto her head. Chuu giggled.

“That was reckless,” Haseul said, “What if you’d been seen?” Haseul had finished examining Yves and stood in front of Chuu and Yeojin. 

“Awww, I’m sorry Haseul!” Yeojin said.

“Umm… Ms. Haseul,” Chuu said, “Is Yves okay?”

“Yes,” Haseul replied, “Yves sustained an injury a few years ago. She’s made lots of progress in healing but it’s important that we keep an eye on it.” Haseul gave Yves a stern look, “To be honest, when I heard Olivia had moved in with Kim Lip I was worried they’d be fighting all day every day, which wouldn’t be good for Yves’ leg. But things seem to have calmed down between you two again, which is good.”

Chuu snapped into attention.

_ “It’s really nice to see that you and Olivia are starting to get along again!” _

“Why do people keep saying that??” Olivia snapped, “I hate her more than ever!”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Yves replied. 

Chuu suddenly realized something else, this injury probably had something to do with why Yves didn’t dance anymore. Chuu felt awful! It was probably a very sensitive topic. She shouldn’t have bothered her about it like she had been. 

“Well I’m done,” Haseul said, “Please come in sometime this month, Yves. You shouldn’t skip your therapy. Then I won’t have to come find you again.”

“Fine,” Yves muttered.

“Let’s go Yeojin,” Haseul reached out and picked up the little frog on Chuu’s head, as well as her clothes.

“Awww!! Haseul! I wanna stay with Chuu!”

“Maybe another day.”

“It was very nice to meet you!” Chuu said, waving as they left.

The girls started their way back. 

“Is Ms. Haseul a member of the legend as well?” Chuu asked.

“Yeah, she’s the bird,” Olivia replied.

“Listen, Chuu,” Yves said solemnly, “Try not to be anywhere alone with Haseul.”

“What? Why?”

“Every generation of the curse also has a member who can erase memories. Like a defense mechanism I guess. Haseul is the one who wipes the memories of people who learn about our secret.”

“But, I thought it was okay for me to know.”

“It is. But the head of the DeLunes is very fickle. I honestly don’t know why she agreed to it in the first place. I’m nervous.” Yves had a far-off look in her eye, like she had suddenly been transported to a time and place that Chuu couldn’t reach.

“Alright,” Chuu said, “I’ll try.”

* * *

 

After dinner, Chuu went to her usual night shift at the bakery. She was starting to get hot from baking things for the next day, so she decided to take her break outside for some fresh air.

She was startled to see a woman leaning against the wall outside. She was even more startled when she realized that it was Haseul.

“Hello,” Haseul said.

“Hi Ms. Haseul,” Chuu said nervously, “what brings you here?” Yves had just told her to not be alone with Haseul, and here she was. It was dark out, and there was no one else around. 

“I wanted to speak with you,” Haseul said, stepping closer, “I’d like to invite you to my office at the DeLune estate.”

“Uh…” Chuu stuttered, “Speak with me?”

“Haseul stop being so creepy!” A chipper voice suddenly spoke up from behind Chuu, who jumped in surprise. Yeojin loosely put her arms around Chuu from behind so that their torsos wouldn’t touch. “Don’t worry Chuu! I’ll be there too so Haseul can’t do anything weird. I promise she doesn’t want to hurt you!”

“Oh, well if you’ll be there…” Something about this still felt weird, but Chuu couldn’t help but feel comfort in Yeojin’s presence, even if she had just met the girl that day.

Haseul handed Chuu a slip of paper, “Here’s the address. If you’re free this weekend I’d like you to stop by. I’d also prefer if you didn’t tell Yves and Olivia. You may even meet the head of the family.”

Chuu bit her lip hesitantly, but nodded. Maybe she could learn more about the DeLune family at the estate. 

“Yay! I’ll see you later Chuu!” Yeojin said as she and Haseul walked to their car. Chuu watched them leave before going back into work. She wondered what Haseul had to tell her that she didn’t want Yves and Olivia knowing about. 

* * *

 

Chuu stood outside a grand wall, working up the nerve to go inside the gate.

_ The DeLune estate is huge, and so opulent! I never thought I’d come to a place like this! _

“Chuu! You’re here!” Yeojin’s voice came from above. Chuu looked up to see Yeojin standing on the wall.

“Ah! Yeojin be careful!”

“You’re right on time! Come on in!” 

Chuu went through the gate. The inside was just as grand. It was like a small town. However, everything was very quiet, as if no one lived there at all. Chuu could feel herself getting more and more nervous as they passed a large house that Yeojin identified as the main house. She followed Yeojin until they reached a small house separate from the main house.

“Welcome,” Haseul said when she opened the door. Chuu tried to seem less frazzled than she was. The idea of meeting the head of the family was so intense. But now she also wondered if Haseul wanted to tell her that the DeLune family was better off without associating with someone as low as her.

_ Maybe I’m not good enough to stay in one of their houses! Oh Mom I’m so nervous! _

When Chuu sat in Haseul’s office, she noticed a picture of a young woman on a bookshelf. Everything in the room seemed so impersonal and sterile except that. 

_ I wonder if that’s a picture of her mother. Maybe not, it doesn’t seem that old.  _

“Haseul,” Chuu wondered, “If you’re a doctor, do you have an office at the hospital?”

“No,” Haseul said, sitting in her own chair, “I’m the DeLune family doctor. I don’t examine anyone outside of the family. Half of my time is spent on the head, Jiwoo. You could say she specializes in getting sick.”

_ So the family head is named Jiwoo… I guess she has a weak immune system. _

Chuu looked out the window, “It’s really quiet.”

“That’s because everyone is preparing for New Year’s! It’s the biggest celebration for our family. Even the people from the outside help out!” Yeojin said, sitting on a pillow on the ground.

“Outside?”

“The Delune family is split into two parts,” Yeojin explained, “The people living on the road leading up to the wall around the estate are all DeLunes! There’s probably one-hundred of them. Then there’s the people  _ inside  _ the wall. They’re the ones who know about the curse. About fifty of us. Lippie and Yves used to live inside as well! But Olivia always lived on the outside.”

“This brings us to why I brought you here,” Haseul said, her serious tone juxtaposing with Yeojin, “There are very few people who know our secret, even within the family. For an outsider like you to know is unthinkable.”

Chuu swallowed nervously. Haseul’s gaze was sharp and heavy.

“Normally I would have erased your memories immediately. But Jiwoo decided against it, and she allowed you to  _ live _ with the others. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come to a conclusion.” 

“What conclusion?”

“Chuu, do you like living at Kim Lip’s house?”

“Yes! I love it!” Chuu nodded eagerly.

“I think it would be best if you left. Stop associating with the DeLunes.”

Chuu felt her heart sink.

Haseul continued, “I don’t think Kim Lip made our situation to you clear. Our family is possessed by vengeful spirits. It’s not as fun and cute as you might think. It’s sinister. It’s cursed.”

Chuu looked over at Yeojin, who wore a solemn expression. 

“Before something happens that you regret, you should get out. I think… that Jiwoo is using you for some insidious purposes.”

Chuu felt a shiver run up her spine. Use her? For what? 

They were suddenly interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

“I’ll be right back,” Haseul stood and left.

The dark turn this had taken had Chuu reeling. So the curse was more than just turning into an animal?

“Haseul is almost blind in her left eye,” Yeojin said suddenly, but softly.

“Huh?”

“Haseul had a girlfriend. Her name was Kana and she was very sweet. They met because she was Haseul’s assistant. Even when she found out about the curse, she didn’t care.”

Chuu looked up to the photo, wondering if that’s who it was.

“They were engaged to be married. But when Jiwoo found out, she got furious. She went into a rage… and she hurt Haseul’s eye. But even now, Haseul doesn’t blame her. Instead, Kana started to blame herself. She tortured herself with the guilt. It started to affect her health.”

Yeojin stood and opened the sliding door into a yard. 

“She was so depressed, that Haseul erased her memories to save her.”

Chuu gave a small gasp. 

“She erased the time that they loved each other, and Kana got better. She left, and Haseul was shattered. But she still didn’t blame Jiwoo…”

“Why not?” Chuu asked quietly.

“Because that’s… part of the curse,” Yejoin said sadly, “I don’t know what Jiwoo is or isn’t planning but… I think Haseul wants to protect you. She doesn’t want you to be hurt like Kana was.”

Chuu could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Yeojin turned around, “Oh no!” She kneeled in front of Chuu, “I’m sorry. Did I make you cry?”

Chuu shook her head, “No… It’s just… Haseul is so kind.”

Haseul wanted to protect her, when it seemed like Haseul was the one who really needed that kindness, to be protected.

“I’m glad I met everyone,” Chuu said, “Even if I’m being used… It’s worth it.”

_ I’ll never regret getting involved. Yves and the others have helped me grow. _

“Are you glad you met me?” Yeojin smiled.

“Of course,” Chuu smiled back. 

“We didn’t pull you into our family’s mess on purpose to hurt you,” A voice said from the doorway. Chuu looked up.

“Kim Lip! What are you doing here?”

“I had a feeling that I was needed!” Kim Lip winked.

“Liar,” Haseul said, “You came to check on the New Year’s preparations.”

“Must you always be such a hater?”

“Shut up, Kim Lip.”

“Don’t let them fool you,” Yeojin said, “They’re actually friends.”

“Anyways, like I was saying,” Kim Lip said, “No one is out to hurt you. Haseul can be bossy so just ignore her.”

Haseul scowled. 

“No! It’s okay. Thank you for worrying about me!” Chuu insisted.

“Oh,” Haseul said, “You still haven’t met Jiwoo.”

“Don’t bother,” Kim Lip said, “I just tried to visit her and she’s in a mood again. Chuu can just come home with me. I’ll go get the car!”

Kim Lip left, leaving Haseul and Chuu in awkward silence.

“I’m sorry,” Haseul said suddenly, “For today. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Chuu blinked in surprise, then smiled. Behind her cold exterior, Haseul was actually kind. Haseul hesitated before giving a small smile back. 

Yeojin walked out with Chuu.

“Yeojin, can I ask you something?”

“Sure!”

“Olivia and Yves… I keep hearing people say something about them getting along before?”

“Oh! You didn’t know?” Yeojin said, “Yves and Olivia used to be best friends!”

Chuu was shocked, “What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Yeojin replied thoughtfully, “I was young at the time. But apparently it happened very suddenly. And afterwards Olivia would fight Yves every time she saw her.”

Chuu had hoped to learn some answers at Haseul’s, but it felt like all she had gotten was more questions. She thought about how Haseul spoke of Jiwoo. It seemed so casual, but… How could it be? After what had happened, how did Haseul feel about Jiwoo? Did she admire her? Hate her? Like her?

_ That’s part of the curse. _

Chuu felt a tingling on her back, like someone was watching her. She turned around and caught a glimpse of a girl at the window of the main house. She was hard to make out. All Chuu could see was a mess of copper curls. The girl stared at Chuu before backing away from the window.

“Kim Lip,” Chuu started in the car on the way home, “What is the curse? Is there something… I need to do?”

“All you need to do is be yourself,” Kim Lip replied, “As for the curse… I don’t think you’re quite ready for the rest.”

Chuu bit her lip, “And Olivia and Yves… Is it true they used to be best friends? Do you know what happened?”

Kim Lip sighed, “It’s true, but I don’t think it’s my place to tell you that story.”

_ I feel liked I’ve learned so much, and yet nothing at all. Will there be a day when I finally understand the DeLune family? The good and the bad? _

When they got home, they found Yves and Olivia fast asleep at the kotatsu.

“Wow, who would have thought even these two could fall asleep next to each other?” Kim Lip smirked, “They must have been waiting for you.”

Chuu smiled down at their sleeping faces. 

_ I won’t ever regret meeting them. These days… are precious to me. The way I feel about them will stay the same. I know it will. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao why do I keep updating at 2am? idk but I need to work on that.  
> tbh it's just looking like a lot of the plot will be the same as the original manga but the backstories of a lot of the main characters will be different!  
> I hope you're getting curious about Yves and Olivia's past! ;D  
> Also, yes! The head of the family's name is Jiwoo.... Mysterious right?  
> This fic is going to end up long as hell. Stick with me and I promise I'll do my best and follow through to the end!  
> Thanks as always for your kudos and comments! They warm my heart! <3


	12. Another Shape of Me: Part 1

_ 6 years ago… _

Adults like to talk. Like… they  _ really _ like to talk. Gossip is a secretive thing. When they talk in public, it’s often in whispers. To be honest, these whispers are often more conspicuous than simply talking, but something about whispers were so exciting. But when the two people are alone, they don’t have to whisper.  Sometimes, however, they are not alone. Here’s the thing about adults: they always assume that children aren’t listening. They think they can say what they want to each other and the children will either be too preoccupied to hear, or not smart enough to understand. They even would sometimes blatantly speak to the child, believing that they didn’t get what they were saying-- sometimes such awful and terrible things.

But Olivia always understood.

For as long as she remembered, the gossip floated around her, and she understood it all, felt it all.

_ Look, it’s the child possessed by the wolf. Poor thing. _

_ Poor thing? Didn’t you hear? It’s her fault that her mother killed herself. The spirit of the wolf is evil, child or not.  _

Olivia hated them. She hated them all. Even if a small voice inside her told her they were right. She was worthless, disgusting. The only person who loved her was Kazuma, her adoptive father. And he was the only person Olivia loved. And she felt guilty every day. Guilty over her mother, guilty for Kazuma’s obligation to take care of her. Because of her, they gossiped about Kazuma too. Kazuma was a good man, he didn’t deserve what he got because of Olivia.

Olivia wasn’t allowed to play with the other children, even the cursed ones.  _ Especially _ the cursed ones. They were treated like royalty. It was when she was seven that she realized how different she was from those other children. And now, at eleven, she could see the girl in front of her for exactly what she was.

When she looked into those burgundy eyes, she saw the eyes of the swan who had ruined her life. The swan was perfect. She was the rebellious girl. The girl who fought against God, and managed to escape. She was naturally perfect, good at anything, but cunning enough to blaze her own trail. She was the antithesis to the wolf-- to Olivia. The wolf was a coward-- too scared to rebel-- who eventually became a tool of God to hunt the others down. The wolf was cursed to chase the swan for eternity, and never win. The wolf was everything the swan wasn’t, and everyone knew it. Even though it was an old legend, Olivia was always compared to the swan. No matter what she did, it was never good enough. She could try her best, but never be the best, and people would say that it was fated to be so, just as it was fated for the swan to always win. 

So when she finally met the swan, Olivia felt the anger of ten years swell up. This girl, the same age as she was, was the source of all her problems, of all her grief. In the garden where they had happened upon each other by chance, Olivia let loose.

“I hate you! The swan is the reason everyone says the wolf is bad! You’re the reason I can never succeed! Because of you, everyone hates me! If you’re good, everyone says it’s expected because you’re so naturally talented! If you do something wrong, everyone says it’s because you have the spirit of the rebel! But I can’t do anything right! Everything I am is wrong, and it’s all your fault! Everyone says the swan is good and the wolf is evil, but maybe the evil one is you!!”

Olivia could feel herself tearing up, but she did her best to keep up a tough front.

The girl just gave her a blank look, before slowly curling her mouth up into a smile.

“Maybe we should do something they could never expect then,” Yves said. Her eyes were so intelligent, so deep. Olivia was thrown by her calm demeanor.

“...What?” 

“I’m tired of living my life as the swan,” Yves explained, stepping closer, “You’re right. Everyone thinks they know who we are. So let’s do something they would never expect.” She reached out her hand, “Let’s be friends, and rebel together.”

Olivia was shocked. For years, she had planned on what would happen when she finally met the swan. She thought she knew what would happen. The swan would sneer at her, and treat her like the misfit she was. She didn’t expect the swan to smile at her. She didn’t expect to be offered a hand. When she had seen the other children in passing, they had flinched away from her. Even adults seemed uncomfortable meeting her silver gaze. But here Yves was, the golden child, reaching her hand out to Olivia with a smile on her face.

“People think that you are obedient, and that you can never succeed. They believe that we’re fated to be enemies. Let’s prove them wrong.”

That idea had driven Olivia for so long. She wanted to prove them all wrong. She wasn’t what they thought she was. Her anger and her desperation waged a war inside her head. Could she team up with her nemesis? But perhaps the swan wasn’t what Olivia thought she was, just like Olivia wasn’t what everyone thought she was. Finally, Olivia extended her hand, grabbing Yves’. Maybe, together, they could break free of the legend and become their own people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo sorry for the super short update y'all but I'm intoxicated and am writing between parties. Tbh, I think my writing might be better cause I'm just letting it all flow out? I just had this urge to pour out these words before I go out. The next part will come out by tomorrow! Who knows, maybe I'll write the other part when I get home tonight!  
> Oh! And I'm sorry but I just decided that I want everyone's eye color to be their Loona representative color (except chuu cause she's normal). I know I haven't mentioned eye color until now but just go with it okay?   
> I love you guys, and I love Loona. (THE NEW VIDEO THEY RELEASED HAS ME SHOOK)  
> As a person who is subscribed to MANY Loona fanfics and is frustrated by how long people take to update and how many seem like they'll never be finished, I PROMISE that I will continue to update often until it is FINISHED. I just love writing y'all. Too bad I'm not working on the projects that will actually make me money smh...


	13. Another Shape of Me: Part 2

“Miss Yves, Master Jiwoo has requested your presence,” Mrs. Huang, the head servant told Yves, before shooting her usual dirty look at Olivia. Even after three years of friendship, the Delunes didn’t like Olivia and Yves together one bit. However, it was refreshing for the both of them. Olivia would rather make them angry together with Yves than be perfect and still ignored and looked down upon. Yves was pleased that she actually managed surprise the family for once. It was a good arrangement at first, but now Olivia really felt close to Yves. Having a friend like this was a much happier life than before. The two of them were inseparable. Well… mostly.

Yves sighed. She and Olivia sat in the floor of her bedroom, playing cards. They had been planning their next scheme when they were interrupted.

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Mrs. Huang bowed and left. Yves set down her cards.

“That’s the sixth time this week,” Olivia complained, “How are we supposed to get anything done like this?”

Yves stood, straightening out her clothes, “She’s having a good week. Her illness seems to be having a rest.”

“Well hopefully she gets back to being sick.”

Yves frowned, “You shouldn’t say things like that about her.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, “Just go ahead and run to her side like you always do. You don’t want to leave her waiting.”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” Yves snapped.

“I know, I know,” Olivia resigned, “I’m sorry. Now go.”

Yves’ face softened, and she nodded. Then she turned and left.

Olivia had learned early on that Yves had apparently gained favor from the head of their family. Of course, all of the animals were precious to Jiwoo (except Olivia), but Olivia heard a story that Yves had caught Jiwoo’s eye when they were six and became her favorite. This seemed inevitable to Olivia. Of course Yves was perfect, she was the swan. Everyone thought Yves was so lucky to be in Jiwoo’s favor. The swan was always lucky. Jiwoo couldn’t leave her room often because of her frequent illnesses, so Yves would be called in to play with her. The other animals were called to visit sometimes as well, but Olivia never was. She’d only met Jiwoo once. To be honest, once was enough, but Olivia couldn’t help but be bitter.

However, she tried her best to push those feelings away. She knew now that it wasn’t Yves’ fault. She now understood what Hyunjin had told her all those years ago.

As children, the wolf and the cat shared a sense of camaraderie over their outcast status. They would sometimes vent to each other when they could, both holding so much anger inside of them. Even Hyunjin’s mother kept her away from Olivia. The cat was looked down upon in the legend, but even she wasn’t as bad as the wolf. Unfortunately, Olivia lived outside the wall, so she didn’t see Hyunjin very often. She only saw her sometimes when Hyunjin was walking home from school and would stop and talk to Olivia.

But Olivia remembered when things started to get different. Hyunjin was getting less and less angry. She didn’t vent with Olivia. And then, she wasn’t alone anymore on her way home from school. Olivia recognized the vivid pink eyes of the rabbit, looking at her with curious hesitation from a safe distance back.

“What’s she doing here?” Olivia said to an embarrassed Hyunjin.

“Heejin is my friend,” Hyunjin said quietly.

“Are you crazy? The rabbit would never be friends with the cat. They look down on us, remember?”

“Heejin is different,” Hyunjin insisted, “She doesn’t care that I’m the cat. She knows that we’re more than our animals.”

Olivia looked back at Heejin again. Heejin’s body was stiff, and her eyes were locked on Olivia in what Olivia easily recognized as fear, “Yeah right.”

“You should give her a chance. Maybe we could all be friends.”

Olivia clenched her fists, anger rising, “What’s gotten into you?? They’ve always hated us and they always will! We’re garbage to them!” she yelled.

Hyunjin flinched back and Olivia fell silent. Regret immediately spread across Hyunjin’s face as she realized what she’d done. She started to open her mouth in apology, but it was too late. Olivia was dumb to think that she and Hyunjin were equals. Even the cat was better than, no, _afraid_ of the wolf. Hyunjin had befriended the rabbit somehow and left Olivia down below them. Olivia felt betrayed, angry, _stupid_.

She did the only thing she knew how to do. She lashed out. Before Hyunjin could apologize, Olivia pushed her down onto the ground. Hyunjin gaped in surprise.

“I don’t need you!” Olivia yelled, “I don’t need anyone!”

With that, she turned and ran inside.

Olivia had been young. She felt dumb looking back at the memory. Maybe if she had given Heejin a chance, they could have all been friends. If the swan could befriend the wolf, why couldn’t the rabbit? Instead, she’d alienated her only friend. Maybe she should apologize to Hyunjin. Could Olivia fix it after all these years?

* * *

 

Olivia clutched the flyer tight in her hand as she approached the tall middle school building.

_“I have a dance performance this weekend. You should come see it.”_

Olivia had never been to a school, had never been around this many strangers. She tried her best not to let anyone bump her as she found a seat in the auditorium. She recognized a few faces from the family in the crowd, all sitting together. Most notably, she locked eyes with Jiwoo. For a second, Olivia was unable to move under Jiwoo’s gaze. It was scrutinizing and calculated. Olivia could feel a mix of curiosity and disapproval from across the room. After what felt like an eternity, Jiwoo looked away and Olivia was freed.

The lights dimmed and the first performance started. It wasn’t until after the fifth student that Yves walked on stage. Her white outfit was rippling in a nonexistent breeze. The music started, and Olivia’s breath caught as Yves began to dance.

Yves moved like water one second and fire the next. It was ballet and rhythmic and sensual. At fourteen, she wasn’t the oldest or most experienced performer of the night, but she blew everyone else out of the water. This was the swan in her element: graceful and regal.

Part of Olivia suddenly felt so inadequate, but a surprisingly larger part felt… proud. She was happy for Yves. Happy for her friend.

When the song finished and Yves suddenly stood still, the crowd went wild. People cheered and stood to clap, and Olivia joined them.

After the performance, Olivia stood nearby and waited as many people congratulated and praise Yves. Someone even gave Yves flowers. Finally, Yves broke away from them and walked up to Olivia.

“You were really good,” Olivia said.

“Thanks,” Yves smiled, “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.”

The girls could feel eyes on them, so they looked around and saw the family waiting for Yves. At the front was Jiwoo, giving the two of them an unreadable look.

“I have to go…” Yves said, “Um… do you need a ride?”

“No thanks, it’s close enough to walk,” Olivia could tell Yves was just offering to be polite. They both knew that Olivia wouldn’t be welcome to ride with them.

“Okay, have a good night.”

“You too.”

* * *

 

“Yves?” Olivia knocked on Yves’ bedroom door before opening it. Inside, Yves sat in a chair, a blanket over her lap and legs as she read a book. “Ah, I knew you were here. Your mom wouldn’t let me in so I had to sneak in the window. Which gave me an idea for our next prank…”

Olivia closed to door behind her, but fell silent. Something about Yves looked off. She was paler and looked almost sick.

“Where have you been this past week anyways?” Olivia continued, “I haven’t heard from you at all. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Yves didn’t look up from her book.

“Okay…” Olivia said, “Well, I was thinking we could break into--”

“Stop,” Yves said suddenly.

“What?”

“I don’t want to do any of that stuff.”

“Oh,” Olivia was surprised, “Well. I get if you need a break. You don’t look so good. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“I don’t need a break,” Yves finally looked up from her book, “I’m done.”

“Done?”

“I’m sick of these childish pranks,” Yves said, “Don’t you get tired of all this?”

“But… it’s not just for fun,” Olivia protested, “We’re proving them wrong, remember?”

“I never really cared about that,” Yves sounded completely nonchalant, “I was just bored. And now I’m bored of this.”

Olivia’s heart was sinking, “Okay… so what do you want to do instead?”

Yves cocked her head, “What are you talking about?”

“We could… play cards, I don’t know.”

Yves gave a short, cold laugh, “I said I was done. Why would we do anything?”

Olivia was speechless.

“You don’t think we’re friends, do you?” Yves asked.

“What are you talking about? Of course we are!”

“Listen, Olivia, we had our fun together. But I went along with this because I felt bad for you. You’re just… too pathetic.”

Olivia could feel her heart breaking, but the last thing she would do was cry in front of Yves.

“I’m pathetic??” She said, her voice rising, “Says Jiwoo’s lapdog! You and your life are freaking perfect! Everything just gets handed to the swan! You don’t know anything about hardship or hard work! You wouldn’t last one day in my shoes before you went crying off to your master!”

For the first time, Yves’ face betrayed her and showed emotion, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Something in her eyes made Olivia hesitate. Something had to be wrong. But before she could say anything else, the icy mask slipped back over Yves’ face.

Yves looked back down at her book, “Make sure you close the door behind you.”

“Fine!” Olivia bit out, before storming out and slamming the door behind her.

“Olivia, what hell are you doing in here?” Yves’ mother said as Olivia passed by.

“Don’t worry. I’m leaving.” Olivia said before running out the front door.

Back in her room, Yves stared blankly at the book in front of her, not reading a single word. Her vision started to blur with tears. Slowly, the book fell from her loose fingers and slid off her lap, pulling the blanket down with it and off of her.

On her leg was a large cast.

Yves put her face in her hands and mourned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like ANGST  
> Olivves if you squint


	14. I literally have no idea what to call this I'm sorry

“There’s no way in hell I’m going!” Olivia snapped, eating her lunch.

“If I just came home every time there’s an event, there wouldn’t be a point of me leaving in the first place,” Yves said, “I’ve gone the last few years but… I can’t just keep going back there and pretending.”

“But guuuyyyyyyssss!!!” Kim Lip whined.

“What’s going on?” Chuu asked as she walked in from the kitchen with a pitcher of water.

“Olivia and Yves say they won’t go back to the DeLune estate for New Years!!”

“Why are you tattling like a baby?” Olivia threw a chopstick at Kim Lip.

“You’re not going home?” Chuu said, “But Yeojin told me that New Year’s was a major event for the DeLune family!”

“It is,” Kim Lip nodded, “The biggest event of the year. The whole family comes together and celebrates. And most important is the banquet for the animals of Eden. Only those possessed by the spirits of the legend can attend.”

“That sounds wonderful!”

“It’s got nothing to do with me,” Olivia grumbled, “I’m not allowed to go.”

“What? Why not?”

“It was decided a long time ago,” Kim Lip shrugged, “To go along with the legend I guess. The wolf is always one step behind the rest.”

Chuu’s face fell, “But that’s…”

“It’s not a big deal,” Olivia said suddenly at the look on Chuu’s face, “You don’t have to get all sad about it.”

“Not to mention,” Yves said, “If we go back, we’ll have to stay for three days. Chuu would be alone for all that time.”

“What? Aren’t you going to your grandpa’s house?” Olivia asked.

“Her family is going to Hawaii for the holiday,” Kim Lip said, “Chuu asked if she could stay here.”

“You’re going to be alone for New Year’s?” Olivia said, surprised.

“I just said that,” Yves rolled her eyes.

“Shut up! This is the first I’ve heard about it!”

“Thank you,” Olivia and Yves turned away from their bickering to see Chuu smiling warmly at them, “I don’t know why but… just knowing that you were thinking of me makes me so happy. But I couldn’t possibly let you miss such an important and fun celebration for my sake. And it’s been a while since you’ve seen your parents, right? I’m sure they miss you! So please, go. Don’t worry about me. I’ll have a nice New Year’s here and take care of the house while you’re--”

Chuu suddenly gasped, “Oh no! I left the bath water running!”

“I definitely trust the house in your hands, Chuu!” Kim Lip called after her as she ran off.

“I guess… I can go after all,” Yves muttered.

“Yeah… when she puts it like that… I guess we don’t have a choice,” Olivia agreed.

Yves stood, collecting her plate and utensils.

_Chuu knows what it’s like to lose touch with your parents… Because she’ll never see hers ever again…_

Olivia sighed, leaning back.

_I guess she really will be alright. If she insists like this, it must be true. New Year’s is just another holiday after all. Nothing too special._

* * *

 

“Please be safe, and watch out for crowds!” Chuu smiled as the DeLune family walked out the front door.

“We should be fine,” Kim Lip said, “Not many people are out right now.”

“You be safe too Chuu,” Yves said, “Don’t forget to lock up.”

“I won’t!” Chuu waved at them brightly as they left, “Goodbye!”

_I’m sure she’ll be fine…._

As they walked, they could feel the tension building.

“You know… one night she left her window wide open,” Olivia said suddenly.

“What were you doing in her room?” Yves asked.

“I wasn’t in her room! I saw it from outside,” Olivia snapped.

“... Chuu can be pretty careless. She fell down the stairs again yesterday. She even walks into walls,” Yves pondered.

“She could choke on a grain of rice for all we know.”

“Don’t joke like that.”

“Come on guys,” Kim Lip sighed, “Stop fussing like mother hens, it’s embarrassing to watch. I know you’re worried about Chuu but--”

“Who says I’m worried?” Olivia said defensively.

“This is stupid, let’s just keep walking,” Yves said.

“Actually… There were some burglaries in our neighborhood recently. They haven’t caught the culprit yet,” Kim Lip said ominously.

Yves and Olivia stiffened, their minds synchronizing.

_Damn. Chuu is totally naive enough to invite a burglar into the house!_

_She’d probably make him tea and ask him his life story!!!_

“Oh, hello there,” Yves, Olivia, and Kim Lip’s heads snapped towards the voice.

They were passing the bakery, and an old woman was locking up the door. Yves recognized her as the bakery owner.

“Happy New Year’s Eve,” Yves said.

“Shouldn’t the store be closed for the holiday?” Kim Lip asked.

“Well, you know people love their holiday treats. It’s usually good for business for me to be open just for a little. I let Chuu and the other employees off though, and run it myself. I recognized you, young lady. You always come to walk Chuu home after her shift.”

“My name is Yves,” Yves said, “These are my cousins, Olivia and Kim Lip.”

“I’ve heard a bit about you from Chuu,” the old woman smiled, “Is she with family then tonight?”

“Oh, no,” Yves shook her head, “Her family went to Hawaii for the holiday. She’s back at the house. We’re… going to visit our own family.”

“Oh…” the old woman frowned.

“What is it?” Olivia said, only a hint of aggression in her voice.

“Well, I only know a little about Chuu’s situation, and I’m not one to stick my nose in anyone’s business… I may be wrong but I think this is the first New Year’s since her mother died. She asked me for a pastry yesterday that her mother used to love. It must be hard for her to celebrate it now without her mother, especially alone.”

Olivia and Yves’ hearts dropped down to their toes.

_What was I thinking? How did she really feel? When she watched us leave?_

_How does she feel now… alone in that house?_

Olivia and Yves turned suddenly, crashing into Kim Lip.

“What the hell?” Kim Lip said.

“What are you doing,” Olivia snapped at Yves, “Aren’t you excited to see your beloved Jiwoo?”

“What about you? I thought your parents missed you,” Yves said back.

They kept bickering as they started walking away.

“Guys? Where are you going?” Kim Lip called.

“We’re going home!” Olivia and Yves yelled before breaking out into a run.

 

_She’s been living with us for four months, but there’s still something I never understood..._

_I let it slip by me. I never realized because she’s always smiling. She smiles at the smallest things, and when I’m down, she tells me exactly what I need to hear..._

The two girls ran all the way home, never letting up on their pace.

_Why didn’t I realize? How could I miss that? With what she’s been through… Nobody could really be that happy. No one could be okay with being alone._

**_I want to go home right now. I want to see her._ **

Olivia and Yves burst through the front door of the house. Immediately their eyes zoned in on Chuu, sitting at the kotatsu with a picture of her mother in front of her. Chuu’s head whipped around in surprise at their sudden entrance.

Tears were clinging to her eyelashes.

“Huh??” Chuu said, shocked, “You surprised me! What are you--”

She stopped as Yves reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek.

“Oh!” Chuu said, wiping her face, “I’m not...I was just uh… getting emotional for the new year. You know, singing an old folk song and my heart strings were pulled!”

Yves and Olivia collapsed to the ground, relieved and exhausted.

_Thank goodness._

Chuu watched in shock, “Are you guys okay??”

_If we hadn’t realized… we would have left her to cry all alone._

“We’re fine,” Yves panted, “We just wanted to watch the first sunrise together.”

“But not before we eat New Year’s noodles,” Olivia said.

Chuu felt her heart swell as the two of them looked up at her. Yves was smiling, and she could see the warmth in Olivia’s eyes that she hid behind her scowl.

* * *

 

“I’m home!” Kim Lip called.

“Welcome back Kim Lip!” A girl skipped up, “You’re late.”

“Thanks for coming to greet me, Choerry,” Kim Lip smiled.

Choerry had her brown hair in a high ponytail. Her right eye had a purple ring around it.

“Where are Yves and Olivia?”

“Long story short, they ditched.”

“Olivia will probably get away with it,” Choerry frowned, “But Jiwoo isn’t going to be happy about Yves.”

“I know, I’ll have to handle Jiwoo,” Kim Lip sighed.

“I was looking forward to seeing them,” Choerry said, “But I understand why they’d want to skip out. Even I have things I can’t stand about this place… And I want to run away sometimes too.”

“I don’t think they're skipping because they’re running away,” Kim Lip smiled knowingly.

“What do you mean?”

* * *

 

“Are you sure this is okay with the DeLune family?” Chuu asked, “I’m not causing any trouble, am I?”

The three girls sat on the roof together, watching the sky.

“It’s fine. We’ll stop by to wish them happy New Year’s tomorrow,” Yves said.

Olivia and Yves exchanged a short glance. They knew that it was probably less than fine, but there was no use in worrying Chuu. They had made their choice.

Yves looked at Chuu’s back as she looked up at the stars.

_Right now, they’re probably in the middle of the banquet. But I’m not even worried. I don’t feel any guilt. I’m just… relieved. This time, I’ve considered everything… thought things over about how I really feel..._

“You guys look! The sun is rising!” Chuu turned to beam at them, “Have you thought of a wish? I know mine!”

_...and what I really wanted._

_And I think it might just be to spend the New Year with her._

“This year I’m going to beat that ugly duckling!” Olivia yelled suddenly, standing up.

“Yeah, yeah,” Yves rolled her eyes, “Keep wishing.”

Chuu laughed nervously. This was unlike any New Year’s she’d had before, but there was no place she’d rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update guys! I'm moving to NYC soon and I'm in the middle of preparations. I check so often for kudos and comments like a fucking nerd just sitting there refreshing the page I just want y'all to know how much I appreciate them. It's almost been a month since I started this! This fic is going to be entirely too long! I hope you're ready!  
> Anyways stream Sonatine <3


	15. Melt my Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though it may grow cold again

_ “Haseul is like snow.” _

For as long as Haseul could remember, whenever her father or Jiwoo demanded it, she would suppress anyone’s memories. Even when a young Yves cried in her lap, begging that her friends’ memories not be erased after she had accidentally transformed in front of them, Haseul did as she was told and erased them. In a way, when Jiwoo uttered those words,

_ “She’s cold like snow," _

she was telling the truth. 

* * *

 

Haseul stepped out of the cafe into the brisk morning air, her breath clouding before her eyes. She looked up at the overcast winter sky and pulled her green scarf tighter around her neck. She started to walk away when she heard,

"Dr. Haseul!"

Haseul turned at the familiar voice to see Chuu running up. 

"Oh it is you!" Chuu panted as she caught up to her, "I almost didn't recognize you from across the street! Your hair is different!"

Haseul touched her hair self-consciously, which was now dyed back to her natural dark color instead of red. "It was beginning to get difficult to maintain."

"It really suits you Dr. Haseul!" Chuu smiled, "Perfect for winter! You look like snow white!"

"Haseul is fine," Haseul gave her a small smile in return, "Happy New Year, by the way."

"Yes! Happy New Year!" They started to walk down the sidewalk together. 

"Where are Yves and Olivia? I thought they stayed home with you this year," There had been quite the commotion at the main house about it.

"Oh, they left this morning to stop in and greet everyone for the New Year to make up for their absence!"

Haseul had some doubts about that. Most likely the girls had lied to Chuu and were off hiding somewhere for the day. They knew the trouble they were in, especially Yves. This was the first time the swan had ever skipped the banquet. She thought it best not to let Chuu know that.

It wasn’t as if Haseul could blame her. After all, could anyone really blame Yves for choosing this girl over Jiwoo?

Haseul was stirred from her thoughts as Chuu exclaimed, “Oh!”

Haseul looked over to see Chuu, looking up to the sky with her hands outstretched, “It’s the first snow of the new year!”

The flakes floated gently down onto her bright, smiling face. 

No. Haseul couldn’t blame her at all.

It was a beautiful and peaceful moment until suddenly, not having watched where she was walking, Chuu slipped on a patch of ice and flew backwards and directly into Haseul. They both tumbled towards the ground, Chuu landing on top of Haseul on the concrete.

POOF!

That oh-so-familiar cloud erupted from behind Chuu. Haseul’s body disappeared. Chuu quickly scrambled off of the pile of clothes.

“Ahh!” she dug through the clothes, “Haseul did I squish you?? Please be okay!! I hope I didn’t crush you!”

Haseul’s head was spinning. She had hit it on the ground right before she transformed. The last thing she thought before slipping into darkness was that Chuu’s reaction had been a lot like Kana’s…

* * *

 

_ “Oh my god Haseul! Are you okay? Did I hurt you? What should I do?? Do I have to feed you worms now??” _

If Haseul was snow, it only made sense that her animal form was the purest white. But Kana…

_ “Nice to meet you, I’m Kana Delune! I’ll do my best to assist you!” _

Upon their first meeting, Kana took Haseul by surprise.

_ “Oh! It’s snowing!” _

_ “I have a question for you Ms. Haseul: When snow melts, what does it become?” _

_ “It becomes water, obviously.” _

_ “Wrong! It becomes spring! Spring is my favorite season!” _

They say that being with another person, the right person, can make you feel so much more alive. Kana taught Haseul what that really meant. To Haseul… Kana was spring. It was as if, while imprisoned in the dark cage of the inner family, she had completely frozen into snow. And then there Kana was-- clear, fresh spring. It was almost inevitable that Haseul would fall in love with her. 

It was also inevitable that she would find out.

“ _ Haseul what do I do??” _

When Haseul finally transformed, she was ready for a million more questions, eventually ending with Kana leaving Haseul alone forever. But,

_ “It all makes sense now. I was wondering why you would never hold me. You didn’t want anyone to know your secret. You must have been so scared. Naturally you would distance yourself from others, especially if it was someone you loved…” _

_ “But you don’t have to be afraid anymore! You don’t have to push me away. I’m so glad I met you Haseul. And I’m even more glad to have fallen in love with you. I want to be near you.” _

Haseul had wept like a baby. It was the first time in her life she had felt forgiven. As if she was saved-- melted by the warm breath of spring. 

The next two months were literally like a dream. 

The end of the dream came when Haseul asked Jiwoo’s permission to marry Kana. 

The vase smashing into Haseul’s face came as a surprise to them both. But even more surprising was when Jiwoo started screaming at Kana instead of Haseul.

_ “Why would I give her to you?? We don’t need you! You think you can break our curse?? We don’t need you!! It’s your fault if Haseul goes blind! It’s your fault!!” _

Even with Haseul’s eye injured, Kana came out of that day worse off than she did. Her heart fell ill. No matter what Haseul said or did, all Kana did was cry. Haseul couldn’t blame Jiwoo. That was the curse.

_ “Your memory suppression skills should come in handy, shouldn’t they? Just erase her memories. It’s not like you’ve had a problem doing it before. After all, it’s her memories, her love for you that’s hurting her. Don’t you owe it to her to free her from that? I’m sure she wants to forget.” _

That was the most poisonous part of Jiwoo. As cruel as she was, there was always at least some truth to what she said. 

_ “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” _

No. No. It was Haseul that couldn’t protect Kana. 

_ “Maybe it would have been better, if we had never met.” _

_ Was this retribution? Even though it hurt people, made them cry, if it was an order I would wipe away people’s memories without question. Is this my punishment? I never thought I would have to, with my own hands, erase the memories of the person most important to me… the  _ **_memories_ ** _ most important to me.  _

_ “I’m so sorry Haseul…” _

_ No. I’m the one who should apologize. I brought you into this mess. And yet, even until the end, you were only thinking of me. That’s how much you loved me. And it was that love that was your undoing.  _

_ Please let her find someone who can make her happy. Even if I die surrounded by snow that never melts. I don’t care. Please…. _

* * *

 

“Haseul!”

Haseul opened her eyes to see Chuu leaning over her. She grimaced.

“I’m cold…”

“That’s because… under that coat you’re naked,” Chuu blushed.

Sure enough, Haseul had only a blanket draped over her. She was lying on a bench. 

“You hit your head when I bumped into you,” Chuu explained, “I carried you away to this bench where no one would see us. You changed back. I tried my best to cover you without looking!”

“Thank you,” Haseul sat up, “I’ll get dressed.”

“I’ll go get you something warm to drink!” Chuu ran off.

Haseul pulled her clothes on, lost in thought. It had been a long time since she’d dreamt about Kana. Why now? Perhaps it was the snow. 

Chuu reappeared with some hot tea, “Here you go!”

Haseul took a grateful sip.

“Chuu… When snow melts, what does it become?”

“Huh?” Chuu asked at the sudden question, “Well… It becomes spring! Right? It’s strange isn’t it? As cold as it now, spring will come again without fail!”

Haseul looked at her in surprise. 

Someday… the snow will melt.

Without fail. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SOOOOO sorry about that long-ass wait!! I finally just moved to NYC and started my new job yesterday! Now that my life has routine again, the updates will start back up on their regular schedule! It may take a little longer than every day or every other day (since I work 12 hours a day) but it definitely won't take this long again!  
> Also I can't believe this hit 1000 views!!!! I'm so geeked :)  
> Thank you to those who've stuck with me so far! I hope I can continue to meet your expectations!!  
> (Anyways, who's losing their mind over FavOriTe? And the debut coming soon?? I have decided if I'll preorder the album yet but I should probably decide soon before they're sold out lmao)


	16. Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The closer I get, you quietly hide your traces.  
> Questions that I never thought I would ask, keep growing...

“Wow, check out that girl! She’s so cute.”

A girl in a pastel purple coat with big fuzzy earmuffs looked up at the city map posted on a wall. Her backpack had a cute chibi cherry print and her scarf had little soft baubles hanging from it. All in all, she did have a very cute and girly style.

“Oh yeah, just like I like them. If it were summer I bet she’d be dressed in one of those cute flowery dresses.”

“I’m going to go talk to her.”

“Good luck, bro!”

The boy approached her confidently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey babe, you lost or something? I can give you some- AHH!”

He yelled out in pain as his hand was grabbed and used to twist his arm painfully. He came face to face with the girl, who was beautiful, but was looking at him with a stony glare. Her left eye shimmered purple at him.

“I am lost actually,” she said casually, “Which way is 12th street?”

The boy’s friend watched from a distance, in shock. When the girl let go, the boy ran back towards him. The girl turned to look at them with a danger in her eyes that didn’t match her appearance.

Both boys hurried off without looking back.

* * *

 

“Sorry I bought so much,” Chuu said, handing Yves a bag, “It’s kinda heavy.”

“That’s why we came along,” Yves smiled, “Make yourself useful, stupid mutt, and grab one.”

“Stop calling me stupid!” Olivia snapped, taking the other grocery bag from Chuu.

“Then stop being stupid.”

Chuu sighed. Winter break had ended, and she was still living happily with the DeLune’s. Her New Year’s wish had been that Yves and Olivia would start getting along better, but they seemed to be at each other’s throats, as usual.

“One of these days, I’ll make you say you’re sorry!”

“I’m sorry,” Yves said stonily.

“Screw you! That’s not what I meant!”

Chuu let her eyes wander away from their argument across the street. They stopped curiously on a girl standing on the sidewalk, watching them silently. Something about the girl sent shivers down Chuu’s spine.

“I should kick your ass!”

“You could try.”

Chuu’s attention dragged back to Yves and Olivia. They were walking much quicker than her in their irritation with each other. She hurried to catch up with them. She looked back one last time to see the girl, but she had disappeared.

* * *

 

Chuu slipped into her pajamas, fresh out of the shower. She carefully wound her hair into braids as she walked over to the window. The moon outside was bright and nearly full.

She quietly slid the window open. She loved breathing in the brisk winter air at night, despite Olivia’s frequent scoldings that she would catch a cold from it. Chuu leaned on the window frame, looking out at the night sky as her breath made clouds in the air.

An odd sensation came over her, as if she was being watched. She looked down to the snowy ground and froze in shock when she saw a girl standing in the yard, looking up at her. It was the same girl from before. Chuu swallowed nervously, and started to say something, but the girl suddenly collapsed to the ground. She lay in the snow, unconscious.

Chuu gasped and ran away from the window, out of her room, and down the stairs.

“Chuu? What’s the sudden hurry?” Kim Lip asked from the couch as Chuu ran past to the front door. “Wait, where are you going?” she called as Chuu opened the door without responding, “Are you going out with no shoes on??”

Chuu ran out barefoot into the snow.

“Miss!” she called, approaching the figure on the ground, “Are you okay??”

She dropped to her knees beside the girl, trying to shake her awake. She pulled the girl up into her arms when she didn’t wake up. She was about to try and drag the girl inside when the girl disappeared in a puff of smoke from her arms.

“Huh??” Chuu exclaimed. _Another legendary animal??_

Nestled in the pile of clothes was a small fruit bat.

“Chuu, what are you doing out in the snow?” Kim Lip called from the front porch.

Chuu scooped up the clothes with the bat in them and stood up shakily. She had suddenly become aware of how cold her feet and legs were. She walked to the house as quickly as she could.

“Choerry?” Kim Lip asked in surprise when she saw the bat in Chuu’s arms, “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

“Chuu? Why are you soaking wet?” Yves said as they came in, having heard the commotion and come downstairs.

“S-s-she fainted outside” Chuu’s teeth chattered.

Yves insisted that Chuu hand over Choerry to go change her clothes. When she came back, Yves and Olivia were standing at the couch, where Choerry’s bat form still slept.

“I just got off the phone with the main house,” Kim Lip said, entering the living room, “Apparently Choerry has been missing for three days. They were relieved to hear from us.”

“I guess she was exhausted,” Yves said, “If she’s been walking around in the cold for three days.”

“I didn’t realize that she was cursed,” Chuu said apologetically, “It’s my fault she transformed!”

“Nah,” Olivia said, “Sometimes we transform when our bodies get really weak. If she really has been out in the snow for three days, she was probably ready to transform at any second.”

“We should probably just let her rest for the night,” Kim Lip sighed, “We can ask what the heck she’s doing here in the morning. I’ll set up a cot here in the living room.”

“She can stay in my room!” Chuu piped up, “It’s the warmest in the house!”

“That’s very kind of you Chuu,” Kim Lip smiled.

Chuu carried Choerry upstairs and helped Kim Lip tuck her in under the blankets.

Chuu looked down at the cute little ball of fuzz. It felt self-absorbed to think so, but Chuu couldn’t help but feel like the girl’s sudden appearance had something to do with her. She had seen her in town that day, and Choerry had been looking up into her window. Chuu hoped that she would make another friend. Everyone that she had met from the DeLune family was wonderful in their own way, even if they hid it at first.

* * *

 

“I’ve been gone for three days??”

The entire household sat around Kim Lip’s kitchen table. Choerry had woken up that morning, transformed into her regular body, completely unaware of how she had gotten there.

Chuu watched the girl’s face curiously. It was soft and sweet. Her personality was bubbly and she had a sing-songy lilt to her voice. She had none of the eerie quality Chuu had experienced when she saw Choerry watching her from a distance. Maybe it had all been in her head.

One odd thing about her was that her right eye had a purple iridescent ring around it. Normally, Chuu would wonder if it was a colored contact. But it seemed that odd colored eyes were pretty common in the DeLune family.

“So you didn’t come here on purpose then?” Kim Lip asked.

“No! Last I remember, I was with Yeojin!” Choerry slapped on hand on her forehead, “It must have been Mirror-unnie!”

_Mirror-unnie?_ Chuu cocked her head in confusion.

“She always tries to make decisions without me, but she has a terrible sense of direction! If she had just let me know she wanted to come here we wouldn’t have gotten lost!”

Chuu was in over her head. Why was Choerry saying we? Was someone else with her before?

“Why would Mirror want to come here?” Kim Lip asked.

“Maybe she wanted to meet Chuu,” Olivia said. Everyone whipped their heads around to look at her, “What? It’s not like she’d be the first one.”

Choerry turned to look at Chuu, “Maybe… When I was with Yeojin, Yeojin told me about you. She really likes you a lot!” Choerry smiled.

“I really like her too!” Chuu replied, “But… Can I ask… Who is Mirror-unnie and why would she want meet me?”

“Ah,” Choerry said awkwardly, “It’s a little hard to explain. Maybe it would just be easier for you to meet her.”

Choerry took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Chuu looked around at the others, but they were all looking at Choerry expectantly. Chuu waited with baited breath. Choerry’s face hardened in concentration…

Choerry cracked a single eye open. Closed it back again.

Then she sighed and opened them.

“She doesn’t want to come out,” she pouted, “Which doesn’t make any sense. Why bring me all the way here and then not say anything?” she asked, seemingly into thin air.

“Well,” Chuu said reassuringly, “Tell her that whenever she is ready, I’ll be happy to speak with her. For now, I’m going to get started on breakfast. I bought some fruit from the store yesterday for a special Sunday breakfast!”

Choerry gasped, “I love fruit! Can I come help??”

“Uhh…” Chuu said, remembering the last time a DeLune had asked to help around the house.

“Don’t worry,” Kim Lip spoke up, “Choerry is a little more… refined than Vivi when it comes to such things. The only thing you have to worry about is her sneaking bites of fruit while it’s being prepared.”

“What can I say?” Choerry shrugged, “I’m a fruit bat.”

Chuu giggled and led Choerry into the kitchen.

“You can cut the fruit into pieces while I make the pancake mix,” Chuu told her, “And don’t worry, we have plenty so you can have a few pieces while you work.” Chuu winked conspiratorially.

Choerry nodded dutifully before smiling mischievously back.

Chuu started humming to herself as she worked.

“Do you like to sing?” Choerry asked.

Chuu blushed, “Yes I do. I like to sing to myself while I work. It makes the time go by faster and makes it more fun!”

“I do that too! Listening to music is the only way I can get through my math homework.” They both laughed.

Soon, they were both singing softly together. It was easy to think of simple songs that they both knew, and Choerry was very good at harmonizing.

In the middle of a song, however, Choerry suddenly fell silent. Chuu almost didn’t notice at first, but eventually it caught her attention. She looked over to Choerry and was surprised to see a blank look on her face as she silently cut fruit.

“Choerry…?” Chuu asked.

“Sorry, it takes me a second to adjust,” the voice that came out of Choerry’s mouth was deeper, and a little more monotone. Choerry turned to look at Chuu. Her left eye glinted purple.

Chuu’s brow furrowed in confusion. She could have sworn Choerry’s purple eye was on the right.

“I’m the one who brought us here. I wanted to talk to you. But I had to wait until we were alone.”

“Mirror-unnie?” Chuu asked slowly. Chuu recognized the hard and blank stare from outside her window and on the street.

“That’s what they decided to name me, yes,” the girl who wasn’t Choerry said, “In many ways, we are mirror images of each other—exactly the same, yet polar opposites. However, you can drop the unnie, that’s just what Choerry says, even though we’re clearly technically the same age.”

“So… Mirror. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I came to tell you to leave the DeLune family alone,” Choerry said forebodingly, “Our curse is too deep, dark, and complex for an outsider such as yourself to meddle in. I understand that you’re having fun here, but your fun will have consequences.”

This sounded a lot like what Haseul had said to Chuu before, “I’ve already been told that the curse is darker than I thought, even though they won’t tell me how. I don’t care about the danger it might pose to myself, it’s worth it to me because I really care about—”

“I don’t care about any danger to you,” Choerry cut her off, “I’m not sure if my existence is part of the curse, or if I was created out of a cosmic need, but my sole purpose is to protect Choerry. I take on the burden of the curse that is too much for her to handle, and I make the hard decisions that she can’t. I understand that many of our family members feel a sense of hope that you’ve come into our lives. Some of them even seem to believe that you might somehow break the curse. But that’s nonsense. We don’t even know if the curse can be broken, but it sure as hell won’t be broken by an outsider like you.”

“I—” Chuu started, but Mirror-Choerry continued right over her.

“The truth is, the fact that your presence has been tolerated by Jiwoo for so long has been a miracle. But after that stunt you pulled on new year’s, keeping Yves to yourself, you’ve started to cause waves. All you will serve to do is make Jiwoo angry. And when Jiwoo is angry, it’s bad for Choerry. It’s bad for all of us. So, if you really care about Yves and Olivia, you’ll leave. All that can come of this is pain.”

Chuu was speechless. She had no idea that her presence could have such an impact. Was she endangering Yves? Olivia?

“I don’t understand,” Chuu finally said, “What part does Jiwoo play in this curse? What animal is she? How does she have so much power over you?”

“Jiwoo isn’t an animal,” Mirror-Choerry snapped, “The rest isn’t your business. Choerry is starting to fight back, so I have to go. She’s upset that I’m telling you this. She’s sweet and innocent and wouldn’t hurt a fly. In that regard, she’s everything that I’m not. I may be leaving for now, but don’t think you’re off the hook.”

Mirror-Choerry closed her eyes. The eyes popped back open with a gasp, “I’m so sorry!”

The purple ring had returned to the right eye, signifying Choerry’s return.

“That’s why she had closed herself off to me completely before. Our communication with each other is all or nothing. If she had let me know her intentions, I wouldn’t have let her. I’m sorry that she threatened you!”

Watching Choerry’s personality come back gave Chuu whiplash, “It’s okay…” she stuttered.

“No it’s not! Mirror-unnie is always trying to protect me, but I should get a say in who I get to be friends with, and I like you a lot even though we just met!”

“Is it true?” Chuu asked quietly, “Is my living in this house endangering you and your family?”

Choerry’s face fell, “It’s true that… Jiwoo really wasn’t happy on New Year’s. Mirror-Unnie always takes over when Jiwoo is involved, so I don’t remember much of it. To be honest, I try to tell her to let me handle it myself, but she’s too stubborn. She always thinks she has to protect me because she’s stronger, but I can tell that she’s hurting too.”

“How did Jiwoo become the head of the family?” Chuu asked, “Does it have something to do with the curse?”

“Jiwoo is the daughter of our last head. She inherited the position. The fact that she is part of the legend is a coincidence. But the combination of the two is what makes her so much more powerful. That’s all I should tell you.”

Chuu felt like all she could ever get was small pieces of the story every time she asked about this mystery. But she felt like she was getting closer to something. She’d used these pieces to fit together the puzzle eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Loona Debut day!!!! I'm so excited!!! <3  
> I hope this can count as a second treat for your day ;D  
> I'm super sorry if this is confusing but I've decided to change some ages to this:  
> Yves, Chuu, Olivia: 16 (instead of 17)  
> Choerry and Yeojin: 14 (instead of 13)  
> Idk if this means that 2jin should be 15 but tbh it doesn't really matter in terms of their plot so it'll stay the same for now.   
> This part of the story is actually very much my own. There is a character that choerry is taking the place of that sort of has two different personalities, but it's a completely different twist on it as well as storyline and arc. While writing this I actually thought of even more to add to her story later that I'm v excited about.   
> Don't worry, I know I've been starving you guys of Chuuves content so I'll do my best to include that in the next chapter.


	17. Pounding More and More

Choerry’s visit was further uneventful. She and Chuu became fast friends, sharing a bubbly energy and a love for cute things. Even Yves and Olivia’s moods were lightened with the sunshine that seemed to emanate from the pair, as much as Olivia tried to pretend she was annoyed about it.

“Do Yves and Olivia still fight every day?” Choerry asked. She and Chuu were sitting in the floor of Chuu’s room looking at Chuu’s sticker collection.

“No, they don’t fight that often. They definitely argue every day though,” Chuu replied.

“Hmm,” Choerry pondered, “With them living together, I’m surprised they’re not beating each other black and blue every day. I wonder if you have anything to do with that.”

“Huh??” Chuu said.

“They both seem more peaceful than before. I have a feeling your presence did it.”

“It couldn’t possibly be me!” Chuu shook her head.

“I think you have more effect than you think,” Choerry smiled, “Trust me! I have a sense for these things,” she winked.

Chuu looked down. Everyone kept acting as if she had some sort of super power, but she was just one girl. She was boring and ordinary. She was the one who was lucky to have her life touched by these girls.

“Watch this,” Choerry said, smiling mischievously, “OLIVIA!!” she yelled.

“Are you sure she’ll hear?” Chuu asked. They didn’t even know if she was in the house.

“Trust me, they’re never far.”

Olivia opened the door and peeked in a few seconds later, “What?”

“Will you come with me to the shoe store?” Choerry asked brightly.

“No,” Olivia scoffed, “Go yourself.”

Olivia pulled a pout, “But Chuu is coming and she said she really wants you to go! Right Chuu?”

“Uh..” Chuu stuttered, “Yes…”

Olivia’s face softened slightly, “Fine,” she sighed.

Chuu’s face heated up, “Ah, no, Olivia…” she said quietly.

Olivia looked at her searchingly before rolling her eyes, “Ugh. Chuu, don’t let Choerry drag you into her schemes. Don’t lie for her if you didn’t want to go.”

“Sorry…” Chuu said.

Olivia shot Cheorry a glare and left.

Chuu hid her face in her hands under Choerry’s triumphant gaze, “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence… I don’t have any effect on them…”

“Oh yeah?” Choerry said, “Here, I have another plan…” She bent over to whisper into Chuu’s ear.

* * *

 

Chuu emerged from the staircase, struggling with a large pile of books. She didn’t know how she had let Choerry talk her into this.

“Ah, Chuu let me help you!” Chuu could hear Yves’ voice behind the books that blocked her vision.

“I got it,” Chuu protested.

“No you don’t,” Yves said, closer now, “Trust me, just let me take them.”

Chuu could feel Yves’ hands brushing against hers to take the books from her hands. Chuu resigned and started to pass them over.

“Thank you. I’m lucky to have someone as strong and willing to help as you… Yves-unnie…..”

The hands Chuu was passing the books to suddenly went from strong and stable to limp. The books tumbled down between them, finally revealing Yves’ face.

Her cheeks were flushed bright red and her eyes were open with surprise.

“Ah!” Chuu said, her face starting to match Yves’ “I’m sorry!!”

They both stooped over to scoop up the books. Chuu could feel her heart pounding out of her chest. The look on Yves' face, cheeks rosy and lips slightly parted in surprise, came as a shock to her even if Choerry told her that something would happen. Chuu was suddenly reminded again how beautiful Yves was.

“It’s my fault,” Yves said, “I dropped them.”

They both knew Chuu wasn’t apologizing for the books.

They picked up the books silently. Until,

“You know we’re the same age, right?” Yves said, her voice oddly flat.

Chuu swore you could cook an egg on her face.

“I know I just… You always help and protect me, and I look up to you…”

Chuu snuck a glance up at Yves who was concentrating sharply on the book in her hands, but wasn’t moving. Chuu thought Yves looked vaguely pleased.

* * *

 

“Even if it wasn’t really my plan to visit, I’m glad I did!” Choerry chirped.

Chuu, Yves, Olivia, and Kim Lip stood on the front porch to say goodbye.

“Yes! I’m so glad to have met you! Please come again!”

“And don’t worry! I’m sure mirror-unnie will warm up to you too!”

“I hope so,” Chuu smiled, “I would love to be friends with her too!’

Choerry waved goodbye and left. The girls watched her until she disappeared from sight and then went back inside.

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” Olivia sighed.

“Don’t be rude, stupid mutt,” Yves said, “Choerry is definitely one of our better houseguests.”

“Shut up you ugly duck!” Olivia snapped back, “I’m in a good mood but I’ll still kick your ass!”

“Yet again, I’d like to see you try.”

“What was that about peace and quiet?” Kim Lip sighed.

Chuu smiled, and tried not to think of all the new questions that had arisen from Choerry’s visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short but the next part definitely needed it's own chapter which should also be uploaded today!  
> But watch this video and tell me your life would not be 149.76x brighter with this cutie in it every day?   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeEgiz2-sTg&t=0s


	18. I Wanted to Despise You

_Some days, I wish my brain would just stop working. I don’t want to think about anything. I don’t want to see anything. I don’t want to feel anything…_

* * *

 

It was a chilly Friday morning, and the halls were buzzing with chatter and energy. Chuu and Yves stopped at Yves’ locker.

“I wonder what’s got everyone so excited today?” Yves wondered aloud.

“Did you forget? Tomorrow—” Chuu started, but she stopped short when Olivia passed them, her shoulder hitting Yves’ hard. She didn’t stop to apologize, just shot Yves back a glare.

“Good morning Olivia!” Chuu called, but didn’t get a response back. She sighed, “I guess Olivia’s not in a good mood today.”

“She always has to go out of her way to be aggressive with me,” Yves said, annoyed and rubbing her shoulder. She opened up her locker and stopped in surprise at what was in it.

There were 5 small packages, wrapped in pink paper with ribbons inside.

“Is today… Valentine’s day?” Yves said, her face draining of color.

“That’s what I was trying to say before! It’s tomorrow, so people are celebrating today! I’m surprised you didn’t get more!”

“Most people gave up years ago,” Yves said blankly, her mind somewhere else, “Usually only one or two people are brave enough to try anyways. I’ve heard rumors that people think I’m more friendly now, so that explains the increase in number.”

“Yves… are you okay?”

“I have to go home,” Yves said suddenly.

“What?”

“No, home’s not safe either,” Yves eyes darted around as she thought, “I’ll just… go away for a few days. Take a trip.”

Yves quickly closed her locker and started back the way she came.

“Hey,” Yves was caught with a smack to the head. The teacher stood with a rolled magazine in her hand, “Class is this way. I know you kids like to skip around Valentine’s day but your smooching will have to wait.” The teacher pointed commandingly to the classroom.

Yves seemed to consider running for a second, before her shoulders slumped in defeat and she walked into class.

Chuu stopped at Olivia’s locker on the way, which was, in contrast with Yves, filled to the brim with valentine’s candy.

Chuu thought Olivia would be happy—after being homeschooled her whole life, Olivia enjoyed the admiration of her new peers. But Olivia just dug her book out and slammed her locker closed, her face stony and her mind somewhere else.

Yves was antsy the whole day, and Olivia was much quieter than usual. Chuu wondered what was on their minds, but neither seemed to want to talk about it.

It was when they were leaving the building at the end of the day that Chuu understood what Yves was worried about.

At the front gate was a small girl with pink hair and a bag that looked like a swan. Yves stood frozen as the girl turned around. Upon seeing them, she gave a sweet smile.

“Oh!” Chuu said in realization.

“Yves!” Vivi called happily. The cute girl with unusual hair color attracted the attention of the people around them, even moreso for calling the famous Yves’ name. Their surprised curiosity turned into shock as Yves turned and ran.

Vivi ran after her with vigor and a glint in her eyes, “MY LOOOOOOVE!”

Chuu wondered if it was unfair to suddenly feel bad for Yves.

* * *

 

“But it’s Valentine’s day!” Vivi pouted, “It’s an important day for lovers.”

“What? Lovers??” Yves said, looking away.

“Don’t be rude Yves,” Kim Lip said, “I don’t want my house getting broken again…”

They all sat around the table at home.

“None of this would have happened if I’d just cut class and left…” Yves muttered.

“Did you bring her chocolate?” Kim Lip asked.

“No. Today I came to ask if she would like to go with me somewhere tomorrow, so I can give it to her on that special day…”

“Ooh! Like a date?” Chuu asked, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of tea.

Vivi blushed, “You say it so bluntly Chuu, you’re embarrassing me!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Yves said.

“ **You’ll do it.”** Vivi said, her face turning dangerous.

“I said no!” Yves argued, “Why would I want to go somewhere with someone like you??”

Vivi leaned back as if she had been struck, her face falling, “How could you be so cruel…? Couldn’t you be a little nicer?” Her eyes started to tear up.

“Gah!” Yves said in frustration, “Please don’t cry!”

“What if,” Vivi said quietly, “We invited Chuu and Olivia and made it a double date?”

“Huh?” Chuu and Olivia turned, having suddenly been brought into the conversation.

“That sounds lovely!” said Kim Lip.

“You really think inviting Olivia is going to make me want to go more?”

“Oh!”’ Chuu gasped at the same time, “I’ve never been on a date before!! Is it allowed?”

Both Olivia and Yves looked at the eager stars shining in Chuu’s eyes. She seemed emotionally overloaded by the prospect.

Yves slumped in defeat, “I give up…”

* * *

 

“See you tomorrow!”Vivi chirped, holding Yves’ unwilling hand in both of her own in the kitchen, “I can’t wait!”

“I can.” Yves said.

“Choerry told me that she agrees that you and Olivia have been getting along better. I’m glad. Maybe tomorrow can help you get closer again!”

Yves didn’t answer.

From the living room, the others could hear them talking. Olivia slammed her fist down on the table.

“I’m sick of hearing this shit.”

“They might be right you know,” Kim Lip said.

“What are you trying to say? Don’t think we’re just gunna become best friends because you’ve got these ideas in your head. ‘Get closer again?’ What a load of crap! It sucks having to be around her all the time! I hate Yves, and I _like_ hating her!”

“I wonder why,” Kim Lip said, “It sounds like you think you’re obligated to hate her. But your eyes say something different. They tell me you’re afraid to remember how it could be different.”

A wild look spread in Olivia’s eyes—fear, pain, distress. Without a word, Olivia turned and left through the front door as quickly as she could.

Kim Lip sighed, “Maybe I pressed too hard. I let myself get irritated.”

Chuu followed her out, looking for her in the front yard. _She really did… look scared._

“Olivia?”

Chuu couldn’t understand what Olivia had meant.

She found Olivia crouching behind the bushes, her arms locked around her legs, holding herself tight as if it was the only thing keeping her together.

It was as if… the act of hating was a way of protecting something. But what? Herself?

“What happened back there…” Olivia said dully, “Just forget it. It has nothing to do with you. Just leave me alone.”

_No matter what I say, I won’t be able to fix it. I may not even be able to cheer her up. But…_

Chuu crouched down next to Olivia.

“You know… you don’t have to get along. It’s okay. I thought I wanted you to, but… it’s okay. Even if you hate her.” _If that will somehow erase your fears…_

“…yeah,” Olivia responded, quiet. _I don’t want to see… I don’t want to think about it. Not yet._

Olivia stood up, her face back to its regular strong resolve. But there was something a little softer there as well.

_Olivia’s heart is very delicate… just like Yves’. It’s as though it would break if I were to touch it. They hold onto suffering… pain and anxiety._

“I know we made plans to go out but… if you really don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

“No…” Olivia said, “It’s okay. Just this once.

 _I hope I can wipe it all away, like they did for me._ _Because I want both of them… to be happy._

* * *

 

"Here! I bought you this chocolate heart! The biggest one I could find, to show you how much I love you!!" Vivi held out a hollow chocolate heart almost as big as her head. Valentine's day had arrived, and they would be leaving soon to see a movie.

"No thanks," Yves snapped, "I don't even like chocolate."

"Come on!!!" Vivi whined, "EAT IT!!"

Yves tried her best to push Vivi away as Vivi tried to force the chocolate on her.

"I don't want it!!" Yves shouted!

"Oh... Do you really not like chocolate Yves?" Chuu's voice came from behind them softly.

"What's that you have behind your back, Chuu?" Kim Lip said, "I don't suppose it's chocolate?"

"Yes!" Chuu smiled, "I got one for all of you!" She placed the bag on the table and pulled them out one by one, "And for Yeojin, Choerry, and Haseul!"

Chuu's face fell, "Ah... but I guess I should have made sure everyone liked chocolate first. Silly me," she laughed unconvincingly.

Yves stared at the chocolate, then at Chuu's sad face.

Suddenly, she snatched the chocolate heart from Vivi and devoured it without grace, shoving it all into her mouth as quickly as she could.

"Yay!!!" Vivi cheered.

"How unladylike," Kim Lip sniffed.

Yves swallowed the chocolate, and wordlessly held her hand out to Chuu.

"Huh?" Chuu looked at her, confused. Then her face lit up, "Oh!" She handed Yves her chocolate happily. 

"Are you going to bring these to the others? If you want, I could deliver them for you," Kim Lip said.

"I couldn't ask you to do that!" Chuu shook her head.

"I was going to head over there anyways! It's no problem at all," Kim Lip insisted.

"Thank you!" Chuu accepted, "You're far too kind!"

"Just have fun on your date, alright?"

"I will!"

* * *

 

"Ahh! That movie was so good!" Chuu said as they walked home.

"I know! That part where the girl had to do a leap of faith to a girl she didn't trust before-- I cried!!" Vivi said emotionally, "Oh look! Crepes!"

Vivi pointed down the road, where a crepe truck stood.

"Yves! Will you buy me one?"

"Buy yourself one!"

Olivia looked over at Chuu, who was looking at the crepe truck, her lips parted slightly. 

"Did you want one, Chuu?" Olivia asked.

"Ah," Chuu shook her head, "I'm fine."

"I want one myself, I might as well buy you one too," Olivia insisted.

"I... could pay for my own," Chuu said weakly.

"Don't be stupid," Olivia said, then fell quiet, scolding herself silently, "I mean... It's a date. Let me treat you."

"O..okay," Chuu said, a small smile growing on her face.

They stood at the truck together. Chuu's face was scrunched up in concentration.

"Do you know what you want?" Olivia asked.

"Uh, I'm having trouble deciding," Chuu smiled bashfully, "I love chocolate and strawberries, but it's almost dinnertime so I kind of want a savory one!"

"How about we get both, and then we can share?" Olivia offered.

Chuu grinned at her, "That's really smart!"

After Olivia bought Chuu a crepe, and Vivi's whining grew to a barely stand-able decibel, Yves finally relented and bought Vivi one as well. 

Olivia and Chuu walked a little distance in front of them, eating their crepes.

"It looks like dates might be one thing I'm better at than Yves," Olivia said casually, but Chuu could tell she was pleased.

"You know," Chuu said thoughtfully, "Not all of your qualities have to be in comparison to Yves. There are things you are good at, things about you that Yves doesn't have."

 Olivia frowned, "Hardly."

"I guess it's like a plum."

"What?" Olivia said, totally thrown by the random statement.

"It's like a pickled plum on a rice ball, someone's good qualities!" Chuu elaborated, "The plum sits on the rice ball's back, so when the rice ball looks around, all she can see are everyone else's backs. She sees salmon, and avocado... But she thinks to herself, 'Everyone around me has something special, but I'm just a plain rice ball.' Little does she know, she has a plum on her back that everyone else can see, even if she can't! And I see it, right there on your back Olivia. A beautiful plum!"

Olivia was silent for a moment. Then, "What a weird analogy. Why would you choose a plum?"

"Oh!" Chuu laughed, "I guess I could have picked Tuna or something you would like more..." 

Olivia looked away, "You have one too."

"Huh?" Chuu asked.

Olivia shifted uncomfortably.

"A plum... on your back. I can see it..."

Chuu beamed, "Really?"

"A really small one though," Olivia said loudly.

"I like small ones the best! They're the sweetest!" Chuu said joyfully.

"But this one's like really small! You can barely see it!"

Chuu laughed, and Olivia felt her hard mask melting. 

"Here," Olivia held her crepe out, "Switch with me."

"Okay!"

* * *

 

Yves didn't know why she was so irritated. 

Well, she kind of knew. Every atom in her body went on edge whenever Vivi was around. All of her whining grated on her nerves until there was nothing left.

Of course, it would be easier for everyone involved if Yves just let her have her way and went along with whatever she wanted but... Some part of her just couldn't. After all, she was the swan, and the swan couldn't...

No.

That wasn't even what was bothering her now.

Vivi's nonsense faded into the background compared to the bitterness she felt now.

Why was she so angry? Why did seeing Olivia buy Chuu a crepe rub her the wrong way so much?

Olivia always rubbed her the wrong way, but watching them share crepes was just too much. But why? Why would that bother her?

_"Yves-Unnie..."_

It was shameful the way that one word had affected her so much. She'd dropped the books like an idiot, and the memory played in her head over and over for days.

And now Chuu was having such a good time on a date with Olivia, even if it wasn't really a real date. Or was it?

There was only one logical answer to her confusion and Yves would not,  _could not,_ accept it. 

It simply wasn't an option. It never would be for her. To even consider it would be cruel to them both. She knew better. Even Vivi did, as hard as she pretended otherwise.

The swan was free, but her heart was trapped eons away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took longer than I initially said but I ended up adding more than I planned! Hope you enjoy!  
> As always your comments fill me with joy and motivation!! thank you <3


	19. The World's Most Foolish Traveler

“Alright everyone, pencils down.”

Sighs filled the classroom, some students groaning for more time and others accepting their defeat. Chuu stretched her arms and fingers out happily.

_One more set of final exams done, one step closer to fulfilling my promise, mom!_

“How did you do?” Yves asked from the desk beside her. Chuu briefly remembered the days when she would turn only to see the back of Yves’ head. Those days seemed years away. Who would’ve thought they’d end up here?

“I have a good feeling!” Chuu said, “I’m sure I did well, all thanks to you helping me study, Yves-Unnie!!”

Unbeknownst to them, the ears around them perked up at ‘Yves-unnie.’ The shock that spread through the body attached to those ears was unmatched as their eyes saw Yves give Chuu a warm and gracious smile in return.

“I didn’t do that much.” Yves tried to keep the heat from her face at that word. Ever since the first time, Chuu seemed to sprinkle it in now and again. Chuu was so innocent, to think of Yves like a big sister. At least, that’s what Yves told herself. Chuu was too clueless to know the other connotations of things like that.

Thoughts and whispers raced. What had happened? After all these years, why did Yves become so open now? And only with the new girl? The boys in the class groaned in longing. Why couldn’t she smile at them like that?

“No! I know I did at least 10% better thanks to you!! Even though you had your own studying to do, you took time to explain things I didn’t understand.”

“How did you do, Olivia?” One of their classmates asked.

Olivia shrugged, “Who cares?”

“Ooh, so not well then?” a boy student laughed. Some of the students loved to tease Olivia because she got riled up so easily. They did it all with good intentions, but that didn’t keep Olivia from getting frustrated. It was just in her nature.

“Olivia seems like someone who would forget to study until the last second and cram the night before!” another student added.

“Screw you! I study plenty! I mean,” Olivia leaned back to be more casual, “Not like a lot… cause I wasn’t worried. But… enough.”

The students laughed at her attempt to be cool, and Olivia flushed slightly, but didn’t seem upset.

“Olivia was actually studying a lot,” Chuu suddenly piped up. Recently, Olivia had been holed up in her room often. It was strange seeing her concentrating so steadily and quietly. More energizing activities suited her better.

“Huh?” The other students turned to look at Chuu.

 _Oh crap._ The other students didn’t know that Chuu was living with the DeLunes. She’d kept it a secret so as to not arouse suspicion. So of course, it seemed weird that Chuu would know about Olivia’s studying habits.

“I mean, when I came over to study with Yves’, Olivia was studying a lot as well!”

That was enough to sway their attention.

_‘I WANT TO GO TO YVES’ HOUSE TO STUDY!! INVITE ME OVER YVES.’_

“Kim Chuu,” the teacher called from the front suddenly, “Come here, I need to speak with you for a second.”

“Alright!”

Yves and Olivia watched Chuu talk with the teacher. She looked abruptly ashamed and bowed her head. The teacher waved her hand and smiled.

“Is something wrong?” Yves asked when she came back.

“Huh? No. I just… need to work harder!” Chuu said, perking up. “Go work go!”

Yves and Olivia just looked at her blankly, not understanding.

* * *

 

“Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!” a bundle of unstoppable energy burst through the bakery door.

Chuu looked up from the counter, “Oh! Yeojin! What are you doing here? We’re closing in a minute.”

“I know! I came to help you clean up so you can get done early!” Today Yeojin wore orange overall shorts and a bright green frog hat.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Chuu shook her head, “I don’t think it’s allowed!”

“But I have a present for you that I want to give you when we get to Kim Lip’s house!! If you want, I can just sweep and mop! I won’t touch anything important that will get you in trouble! That’ll be okay, won’t it? I swear I can do it!”

“Okay okay,” Chuu relented, “Fine.”

“Yayyy!!!”

“What’s the present?” Chuu asked curiously.

“It’s a surprise!”

* * *

 

“Good evening everyone!” Yeojin called as they walked in the front door of the house.

“You’re awfully hyper for this hour,” Kim Lip said.

“I don’t think she ever powers down,” Yves said, taking her shoes off. She’d been surprised by Yeojin’s presence when she arrived to pick Chuu up from work.

Olivia came out of the bathroom, freshly showered in a T-shirt and sweatpants. She toweled her hair off, “Ugh, what are you doing here?”

“Olivia you’re all clean!!” Yeojin bounced up and down.

“Something about your energy really pisses me off…” Olivia pinched Yeojin.

“Ow!! Chuuuuu, Olivia’s mean!”

Yves pinched the bridge of her nose. _God, will those two ever be quiet?_

After dinner, Yeojin stood with purpose, “Chuu! Do you know what day it is??”

“Uhh… it’s March 15th.”

“Ding ding ding!” Yeojin clapped, “March 14th is white day. It’s a day late though. But I’m giving Chuu a trip to the hot springs tomorrow!!”

Chuu gaped, “Hot springs??”

“Aren’t white day gifts supposed to be given by men?” Yves asked sarcastically.

“Well, Chuu got us Valentine’s day gifts! So today I’ll be her oppa!” Yeojin winked.

“God you say the stupidest things,” Olivia snapped.

“I couldn’t possibly go to something as extravagant as a hot spring…” Chuu said, paling, “I couldn’t do something like that and forget all about mom…”

“It’s not like she asked you to go to Paris,” Kim Lip laughed, “It’ll be a good opportunity to take a rest from work and studying!”

“Yes! I’m sure that if you’re happy, then your mom will be happy too! Unless,” Yeojin’s face fell, “You don’t like it…?”

“No!” Chuu insisted, “I love it… thank you so much,” her voice trembled with emotion.

“Olivia and Yves are coming too!”

“Hey! You can’t just speak for other people like that!” Olivia yelled.

“Come on Olivia! You’re coming! You’re coming!” Yeojin whined.

“I don’t know what gave you that idea!” Olivia tried to escape Yeojin’s grasp on her arm.

“What about you Yves? Are you coming?” Yeojin asked.

Yves smiled, “I’ll go, since you went through all the trouble.”

“Yayy!!!” Yeojin cried, “Yves says she’s coming!!

“Then I’m definitely not!!”

“Oh, sorry to change the subject, but I just remembered,” Kim Lip said, “Your grandpa called today Chuu. Apparently you didn’t make last months payment for your school trip? He said he could pay it if you wanted.”

“Oh! No,” Chuu said, embarrassed, “That is…  a lot happened… uh last month… But I can pay it off with all the money I make at work this month! I already told the teacher. Sorry to put you through trouble!”

“It’s alright. But Chuu, you work so much already, where did the money—” Kim Lip cut short.

The three older DeLunes stiffened simultaneously as they came to the realization.

_To pay for all that Valentine’s chocolate._

“Where is your class going?” Yeojin asked cluelessly.

“It’s not decided yet,” Chuu replied.

Olvia’s top blew off like a tea kettle. She stood suddenly and started to yell, “YOU IDI—” Cutting off into silence as she struggled to keep her temper in check.

Chuu looked at Olivia in surprise.

“You…” Olivia said through gritted teeth, “Shower. Your turn.”

“Um, okay,” Chuu smiled before leaving.

Olivia deflated and flopped down to sit when Chuu left.

“Good job,” Kim Lip noted, “You’re getting a lot better at not losing your cool with her. But… It’s not like chocolate falls from the sky. She would have had to pay for it with her own money.”

“Why didn’t we realize?” Yves murmured.

Olivia slammed a hand on the table, “Because she’s always smiling like that! How could we know she was having trouble with money?” She was surprised at how angry she was, “Why is she like this?? She could have used the money for something more useful, like clothes or shoes, or her trip deposit! She’s just making things harder for herself, that idiot! One day, she’ll definitely regret it!”

“You know, yesterday I had a class meeting,” Yeojin piped up.

“Huh?” Olivia deadpanned.

“This one kid in my class always brings in funny books. It was called ‘a collection of funny stories.’ Last time he brought one in called A Universe of Stew!”

“Is there a point to this story…? Yves asked.

“Oh. Right,” Yeojin nodded, “There was a story called, ‘The Most Foolish Traveler in the World.’ It goes like this,

_Once upon a time, a traveler was on a journey. He wasn’t very smart, so many towns people would take advantage of him because he was easily tricked. They tricked him with stories of sick children or misfortunes. On his trip, he ended up giving away his money, clothes, and shoes. But, because he believed their lies when they said how much his gift would help, tears would stream down his face in joy. ‘Please be happy,’ He would say. When he gave away everything he had, even the clothes on his back, he travelled through the forest so no one would see him naked._

_In the forest, he met monsters, and they wanted to eat him, so they tricked him as well. He willingly gave up his arms and legs to the monsters, to the last monster, he even gave his eyes. In the end, the only thing left was his head. As the monster munched on his eyes, he said, ‘thank you. In return I give you this gift.’ But all that he left was a slip of paper that had ‘fool’ written on it. But the traveler cried and cried saying, ‘thank you. No one has ever given me a gift before!’ And then the traveler died._

“After the story, my classmates laughed about how stupid the traveler was, but I couldn’t. I just thought about… how lucky he was.”

Yves and Olivia were confused, but Kim Lip smiled in understanding.

“Loss… suffering… Thinking about them is pointless. The traveler didn’t think about them. Other’s might think that’s stupid, but I don’t. I could never trick someone like that, I would only want to make them happy. Even after the traveler lost everything, he was still willing to help, and still able to feel joy and be grateful to receive even the smallest gift.” Yeojin smiled to herself softly, “Yves? Olivia? What do you think? Is that stupid? What do you see when you close your eyes?”

Olivia and Yves were completely silent.

_After all she’s lost… She still gives freely. Somehow, she doesn’t even think of it. If anything, she’s certainly stronger than me._

_Of course… I see her stupid smiling face. But… it means everything to me. If that smile wasn’t there, I don’t know what I’d do…_

* * *

 

“Hey,” Chuu turned around from taking the laundry down outside to see Olivia standing behind her.

“Oh! Good morning Olivia!” Chuu smiled.

“I’ll go too,” Olivia muttered.

“Huh?”

“Since I don’t have a return gift. I’ll put up with Yves and go to the hot springs with you.” She turned away, “I don’t know if you even care if I go or not but—”

“No!” Chuu bounded forward, “I do! I do care! It’ll be so much more fun with you there! I’m so happy! Thank you so much,” she smiled eagerly, clutching the laundry to her chest.

Olivia looked at her in surprise, before slumping her shoulders, “You… you really are hopeless.”

Chuu watched in awe as the morning sun shined on a smile whose warmth outshined it. It was a soft smile, like all the ones that appeared on Olivia’s face, but her silver eyes sparkled so openly. The breeze blew her hair softly. It was like the cover a spring magazine.

“OLIVIA’S GOT THE HOTS!!” Yeojin appeared suddenly, tugging on Olivia’s shirt.

“Shut up!” Olivia yelled. Just like that, the moment was over, but Chuu could still feel the lingering warmth.

“What are they yelling about so early?” Yves came out, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Good morning!” Chuu chirped, “Olivia says she’ll go with us to the hot springs!”

“Huh?” Yves frowned. First the date and now this? 

_Well… I guess there’s nothing I can do._

“I’m so excited!” Yeojin cried happily.

“Me too!”

“The driver will be here to pick us up soon!”


	20. Heat

“Wow, the inn is so beautiful!” Chuu said as they stepped out of the DeLune-owned charter bus.

“It’s pretty on the inside too!” Yeojin grinned.

 _I can’t believe I get to go somewhere so beautiful, and on a private bus!_ “I feel like a princess!” Chuu beamed.

Olivia sighed, “It’s just some hot springs… Don’t get so excited.”

But Chuu couldn’t help it. Even before her mother passed, money had been tight for them. Chuu almost felt bad. She was getting to experience such glamorous things that her mother never had. But she couldn’t think about that. Yeojin and the others wanted her to be happy so bad. She didn’t want to let them down by being weighed down by negative thoughts.

The front door slid open to reveal a woman. Her hair was frizzy and she had deep bags under her eyes. She didn’t seem much older than 35, but something had worn her down and aged her.

“Hello…” she said, “Welcome to my humble in…” It was as if every word was a struggle to get out.

“Oh! Hello!” Chuu greeted.

“That’s the concubine!” Yeojin chirped.

“Pretty sure you mean concierge,” Yves said.

Yeojin ignored her as they entered, “Our concubine is a member of the DeLune family too. Her body is weak, so she stays here for her health.”

“Normally I have someone else work as greeter in my place, but I had to come myself when I heard the young DeLunes were coming.”

“Please,” Chuu said, “Don’t overwork yourself on our behalf. Your health is the most important thing.”

“That’s very kind of you,” the woman said softly.

Chuu wondered if this member of the DeLune family was on the side that knew about the curse. Or maybe she was a member of the legend herself?

They entered their suite.

“Wow!! It’s so big!” Chuu gasped.

The room was well furnished, with doors to the other rooms and bathrooms as well.

“This is the room where you’ll be sleeping.”

The four teenagers stiffened at the sight of two beds.

“The springs are through the door in the back of the room, let me know if you need anything!” The woman left, not noticing the weight that hung in the air.

“There’s no way in hell I’m sharing a bed with that damn duckling,” Olivia said immediately.

“You’re just saying that because you want to cuddle up with Chuu you perv!” Yeojin countered, “Well that’s too bad cause I’M the one sharing with her! I’m the oppa tonight, remember?”

Olivia bopped Yeojin on the head, “You’re the perv you little dumbass!”

“We can worry about sleeping arrangements after dinner,” Yves rolled her eyes.

“Chuu! We have time before dinner to go to the springs, let’s go take a bath!”

“Okay!”

“We can wash each other’s backs!”

“Okay!”

Yves and Olivia’s expressions darkened.

“You are not taking a bath with her, idiot,” Olivia snapped.

“What why not??”

Chuu stammered, “Yeojin is so young… I’m sure it’s fine.” She didn’t know how old Yeojin was, but she couldn’t be older than ten. She was just a kid, so it shouldn’t be weird.

“Don’t stick up for her!”

“Wahhhh!!! I wanna go!”

Yves suddenly grabbed Yeojin’s face in her hands.

“Yeojin, didn’t we come here so that Chuu could relax?”

“Yes…” Yeojin muttered.

“So maybe instead of bothering her, we should let her bathe alone. We can go in another spring. This is a gift for her.”

“Okay,” Yeojin pouted.

“Good.”

“But I get to sleep with her then!!” Yeojin bounced back.

“Screw it, I’m sleeping on the couch,” Olivia grumbled.

* * *

 

Chuu stepped outside in a towel. She took in the large and beautiful hot spring. Her hair was up in a braid crown to keep it dry.

_My first outdoor bath! It seems so peaceful._

She slipped her towel off and stepped into the spring. In her hands, she held a clear plastic bag. Inside the bag was her mother’s picture. She gently placed it in the water. It bobbed up, floating and water proof.

“Perfect,” Chuu smiled, “Doesn’t it feel nice mom?” she said as she slid the rest of her body in the hot water.

She sat on the underwater ledge against the wall and leaned back. The sun was setting for the day. Having the open sky above her while she was naked was intimidating, but somehow freeing.

“How is the water?” Chuu turned to see the innkeeper wrapped in a towel as well.

“It’s great!”

The woman joined her, “I see you have a photo with you.”

“Yes! It’s my mom. I wanted her to enjoy the hot springs as well!”

“That’s a very nice thought,” she smiled, “Oh, I forgot to mention this before… but my daughter is a member of the legend, like Yves and the others. She’s possessed by the spirit of the butterfly.”

“Really??”

“To be honest… when I heard about you I was uneasy that someone from the outside would know about the curse. I thought that it would endanger my daughter and the others. But now I apologize for feeling that way. I’m relieved that the outsider turned out to be someone like you Chuu… When the day comes for you to meet my daughter, I hope you will show her the same kindness as you have the other young DeLunes…”

“Oh… of course!” Chuu smiled happily. _The butterfly! I’d love to meet her soon!_ “What is she like?”

“Ah… she’s a very sweet girl. But I’m afraid she’s rather withdrawn. I apologize for burdening you with this, but maybe you could be good for her like you are the others.”

“It’s no burden at all!”

* * *

 

“Chuu! Let’s play pingpong!” Yeojin chirped when Chuu came back. “Yves and Olivia won’t let me play with them at all.”

Olivia and Yves were facing off at the table, their faces hard. Yves served, and Olivia swung and hit it back with brutal force. It flew past Yves and hit the wall behind her. Yves didn’t even budge.

“That’s out. I keep telling you to let it bounce.”

“Why the hell would I do that??”

“Because those are the rules.”

Yves served again, and once again Olivia hit it back way too hard.

“Out.”

“Again?” Yeojin laughed.

“You got this Olivia!” Chuu cheered.

“This was a terrible idea,” Yves said.

“Argh!!” Olivia flipped the table in frustration, jumping forward and reaching over the table, “I can’t play this game! Fists!! WE FIGHT WITH OUR FISTS LIKE MEN.”

“You’re the one who challenged ME to ping pong,” Yves said impatiently.

“C-can I play?” Chuu asked.

“Yeah!” Yeojin agreed, “Maybe you can play with Chuu without getting so hot headed!”

“Fine,” Olivia sighed, setting the table back right, “But don’t think I’m going to go easy on you.”

“Okay!”

Olivia held the ball ready, “Here it comes.”

“Don’t forget to bounce it,” Yves said from the sidelines.

“Shut up!”

Contrary to her words, Olivia served it more gently so that it bounced.

Chuu held her paddle ready, her face screwed up in concentration. When the ball came her way, she swung her paddle, “Hyah!!”

And missed.

Completely.

The ball passed right by her and bounced on the floor away.

“I missed!” Chuu exclaimed.

“Yeah… I can see that. You suck at this.”

“Look who’s talking,” Yeojin said.

Yves’ expression was unreadable. She had her mouth covered and turned abruptly away and walked outside.

“Oh and I bet you’re so good at it, huh punk?” Olivia shot back at Yeojin.

“Let’s find out!”

Chuu watched Yves curiously, then followed her out while the other’s started their competition.

“Yves?” Chuu stepped outside. Yves back was facing her. “What’s wrong? Do you not feel well?”

She saw that Yves’ shoulders were shaking. Yves turned around slowly and Chuu saw that she was actually… laughing.

“Hahaha, that was so funny,” Yves giggled, unable to control herself, “You were so serious! So I just… heehee…” She dissolved into uncontrollable laughter.

Chuu smiled, glad to see nothing was wrong, “You know, you could have laughed in front of me, it doesn’t hurt my feelings.”

“No… I couldn’t laugh in front of Olivia like that. I’ve never even laughed like this in front of my own parents. It was so hilarious. Oh…”

Yves reached into her pocket, “This is for you.”

She handed Chuu a small paper-wrapped package. “I wanted to give this to you sooner, but I couldn’t get the timing right.”

Chuu unwrapped the paper to find a beautiful black silk hair ribbon with an intricate and subtle flower pattern.

“It’s my return gift, for white day.”

Chuu flushed, “T-thank you very much!!” She quickly took her hair out of its braid and tied it up in the ribbon in a bow.

“Do you like it…” Yves gently held the ribbon while it was in Chuu’s hair, “… princess?”

Yves quoted Chuu from when she had said she felt like a princess.

“Yes! Of course!” Chuu stammered, “I’m so touched.”

“Then… I’m honored,” Yves smiled, “Or something like that, right?”

Slowly, she pressed the ribbon to her lips as one would a lady’s hand. It was meant to be a playful joke, but Chuu’s head was swimming.

_Uwaaahh!! She’s just like a chivalrous knight! I’m so flustered!_

The moment passed and they rejoined the others. Chuu couldn’t help but be lost in thought for the rest of the night.

_Mom… there are so many knights in the DeLune family… beautiful, cute, and kind knights in shining armor…_

Chuu lay in bed, with Yeojin fast asleep beside her.

_I really am so happy to be able to spend time with them like this. Tonight’s another night that I must be thankful for. I’m so grateful…_

* * *

 

“Please… don’t hesitate to return,” the innkeeper said wearily.

“I’d take your offer seriously if you weren’t leaning on me in exhaustion,” Olivia grumbled, “Please get off.”

“Please take care of yourself!” Chuu said, “It was so nice to meet you!”

As they rode back home, Chuu realized that the new term would be starting soon.

“I won’t be seeing you that often now, will I Yeojin?” she said, “What year will you be starting in the spring? Are you starting middle school?”

“Nope!” Yeojin grinned, “Starting this spring, it’ll be my first year in high school! And I’m coming to the same school as Chuu!! With Choerry too!!”

“….HUH???” Chuu reeled back.

“What the hell are you and Choerry doing sneaking into our school?” Olivia complained.

“We wanted to surprise you!!”

Chuu was shell shocked, her mouth opened and closed silently like a fish.

“Didn’t you know, Chuu?” Yves said, “Yeojin is one year younger than we are. The same age as Choerry.”

Chuu pictured the two of them together. Choerry looked so much older than Yeojin.

“How?????” Chuu exploded. “I thought for sure she was in elementary school!! And now she’s coming to our highschool?? With Choerry?? I don’t know what to be more surprised about!”

“Be surprised by all of it!” Yeojin said.

One thing was for sure, this upcoming school year was going to be very lively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just given up at chapter title's at this point lmao  
> If anyone has loona related ideas...  
> The fruitsbasket manga takes place in japan, where the new school year starts in the spring before summer vacation. To work with that plot, I had to pretend it did in South Korea as well lol  
> Thank you guys for sticking with me this long and for your comments and kudos!! <3 <3


	21. Make Flowers Bloom on this Frozen Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The frozen sky has melted  
> The cold wind has stopped  
> You’re like the sun  
> Now I finally met a new season  
> I’m too scared to break down the walls so please melt me  
> Turn this wait into a heart fluttering feeling"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeaaaaahhhh I know it's been too long. I've got a whole book of excuses but you don't wanna hear those you wanna read a new chapter so here it is! Don't worry! I ain't quittin' on y'all!

_There was something I wanted… something I pictured while in that dark room…_

* * *

 

 _Spring is here!_ Chuu walked happily through the halls. The cherry blossoms bloomed outside, and she was filled with that tingling excitement that always accompanied the beginning of a new term. _All the new first years are so cute!_

She entered her classroom and stood by Yves desk. Yves looked up at her, “How was the assembly?”

“It was nice! You should have come!”

“Eh,” Yves shrugged, “It’s just for first years, I’m not sure why you even went.”

“Because I missed it last year!” Chuu had started in the middle of the year, after all.

“Right,” Yves said, “Did you see Choerry and Yeojin?”

“Yes!” Chuu said happily, “but only from afar! I was going to go visit them in their classroom, would you like to come?”

“I feel like I see those two enough as it is.”

“But it might be different seeing them at school!” Chuu chirped brightly, “It might be fun!!”

Yves looked at her shimmering eyes and sighed, “I guess.”

Yves got up and they walked for the door.

“Where’s Olivia?” Chuu asked.

“She got stuck on the Orientation Management Committee,” Yves said.

* * *

 “Excuse me? I think I lost my class schedule…”

An older student turned to see a small, shy first year looking sad.

“Huh?” she said, “There’s not much I can do about that.”

“But…” The girl said.

“Do you remember where you last had it?” A voice said from behind them, “Let’s go look for it.”

Olivia had approached them, “Can you tell me your name and what class you’re in?” She had a rare welcoming smile on her face.

“SATOMI ARIMORI, CLASS B, AGE 15, SCORPIO, BLOOD TYPE A, MY HOBBY IS CRAFTS AND MY BEST FEATURE IS MY SLENDER ANKLES!” The girl blurted out.

Suddenly, an entire group of first year boys and girls were clamoring over each other trying to introduce themselves to Olivia.

“MY NAME IS RINA AND PEOPLE TELL ME I LOOK JUST LIKE HYUNA!”

“NO YOU DON’T!”

“I’m too freaked out to even be jealous,” the older student said to Olivia, who looked like a cornered animal.

* * *

 “You don’t even know their class number? What were you going to do, wander around until you found them?”

“Ah… Sorry…” Chuu said bashfully.

Yves shook her head slightly and walked over to a couple of first year boys, “Hey, you guys know Yeojin and Choerry?”

The boys stammered nervously, stunned by Yves’ looks and nodded, “Yes. They’re in our class.”

“Good. Go get them for us,” Yves said.

“Hey… see that girl over there? She’s cute, right?”

Yves’ ears perked up to another couple of first year boys’ discussion. She turned to see them looking at Chuu. Chuu was spacing out with a big smile on her face, a common occurrence.

“Yeah, she doesn’t look too bright though.”

“Duh. Dumb girls are the best, stupid. They don’t put up any resistance you know? It’s when girls start getting all assertive that it gets really annoying.”

“I guess… she does look like she’ll buy anything.”

“Maybe I should go talk to h-“

SLAM.

Yves put her arm against the lockers above Chuu’s head so that she was towering over her, like a boy in a romantic drama.

Chuu looked up in surprise at Yves’ proximity, “Yves?”

Yves turned her head to glare at the boys. The boys blanched and shuffled off in fear.

“Uh…”Chuu stammered.

Yves straightened up away from her and bonked her gently on the head with her fist, “You need to stop zoning out everywhere like a space cadet,” she admonished, “If you’re alone, not paying attention can make it easy for someone to take advantage of you.”

“Right!” Chuu stood at attention, looking sharp, “I got it!”

“I said alone. You don’t have to worry about it when you’re with me. Be as ditsy as you want.”

“Oh… okay,” Chuu smiled.

“Not that I mean anything weird by that!” Yves said suddenly, “I don’t **want** you to be ditsy or whatever!”

However, Chuu’s head was already in the clouds the moment she was given permission. “Huh? Weird how?” she said, snapping back out of it.

“Nevermind…” Yves said, her face growing a little red. What on earth was she talking about? Had she lost her mind?

“Oh! Yeojin!” Chuu said, look past Yves.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!” Yeojin skipped down the hall towards them. Choerry walked a few paces behind her, smiling happily as well.

Students turned to stare at the two beautiful new girls. They couldn’t tell if it was surprising or inevitable that they seemed to know Yves.

“How are you guys liking our school so far?” Chuu asked.

“It’s nice,” Choerry smiled, “There are a lot more kids than at our old school, and they seem happier and more relaxed.”

“Chuu! Chuu!” Yeojin grabbed Chuu’s hands and held them tight, “Listen! The adults said I had to be careful and to make sure I don’t bump into any other kids, so this year… I’m playing it cool!!” Yeojin struck a ‘mysterious and cool’ pose.

Yves raised her eyebrows incredulously, “Yeah? Wonder how that’ll work out.”

“Ah, I should have known the commotion was you guys,” Olivia walked up, looking worn out.

“Olivia! Are you done with your committee work yet?” Chuu asked.

“No, I’m just taking a break,” Olivia sighed, “These first years are crazy.”

Suddenly, the school bell rang.

“Ah, it’s time to get back to class!” Chuu said.

“Actually, we’d like to talk to Yves and Olivia, is it okay if they stay here?”

Olivia and Yves looked skeptical.

“Uh… sure!” Chuu said, “I’ll just head back myself. See you later!”

Yeojin was smiling as brightly as usual, but Chuu wondered if something was wrong. She walked down the hall back towards class, deciding to take a detour through the courtyard to enjoy the weather and the cherry blossoms.

The trees were beautiful, and Chuu’s worry was wiped away instantly. _I bet this year will be great! With so many DeLune’s around, things are bound to get exciting. I just hope it doesn’t wear out Yves and Olivia too much. The blossoms are a sign, right mom? Something beautiful is coming. I can feel it!_

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

_“She says she’s coming here.”_

Chuu turned around, the smile slowly slipping off her face in vague recognition of the figure with copper curls before her. The girl was alone, standing under a cherry blossom tree. She started to approach Chuu.

_“Jiwoo.”_

* * *

 

 “We didn’t know either. Right before you got here, Lip-Unnie told us. Jiwoo suddenly announced that she would be coming too.” Yeojin said earnestly.

“We thought we should warn you, Yves,” Choerry added, “Just in case you don’t want to see her.”

Yves felt like a ghost walking through the halls, her mind far away.

* * *

 

“J..Jiwoo-nim?” Chuu stuttered, remembering the girl from the window that she had seen at the main house. It felt so long ago.

“That’s right, Kim Chuu,” Jiwoo replied.

“Pleased to meet you!!” Chuu bowed, frazzled.

_Why is Jiwoo-nim at my school?? I’m surprised she’s so young! And just as beautiful as Yves and Olivia!_

_But… this is the girl who hurt Haseul’s eye..?_

“My, what a lovely young woman you are,” Jiwoo smiled, interrupting Chuu’s thoughts, “You seem very kind. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

Jiwoo couldn’t be more than a few years older than Chuu. She was incredibly thin, and her voice was soft and sugary. Chuu suddenly noticed that while one her eyes was a light peach, the other was pitch black.

“And you’re so cute!” Jiwoo added.

“What?” Chuu flushed, “I’m not at all!” she shook her head vigorously.

Jiwoo laughed, “Relax! I promise you really are. I apologize for not greeting you before at the main house, but I’m afraid I’m rather shy. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course!”

“Well, let’s start over then. I’m Jiwoo, head of the DeLune family. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too!”

“I also apologize for my eye. I’ve been told it can be quite alarming when people first meet me.”

“No!” Chuu exclaimed, “It’s really very striking! It seems lots of the DeLune’s have unique eyes. I think it’s beautiful!”

This was Jiwoo? The one who had blinded Haseul? The name that made every DeLune tense up at the sound? Chuu had never expected her to be so… gentle.

“Thank you,” Jiwoo smiled, “I would like us to be friends. Please take good care of Yves and the others for me…”

“Jiwoo!”

Chuu whirled around to see Yves emerging from the school building.

“Ah! Yves!” Jiwoo exclaimed, walking towards her with her arms open, “I’ve missed you! It feels like ages since we’ve seen each other. You’ve even gotten taller!”

“What did you do to Chuu?” Yves said, her fists clenched.

Jiwoo stopped. “… Nothing. I was just saying hello, right Chuu?”

“Uh… yes! She was!” Chuu nodded.

“Now,” Jiwoo turned back to Yves, “If you’re done being mistrusting, I have something to ask you.” Jiwoo got very close, her voice dropping to a murmur. “Why did you skip out on New Year’s? You know it hurts me deeply when you do things like that,” she brought her fingers up to Yves’ cheek gently, “And after I’ve been so lenient lately… I may have no choice but to teach you another lesson.” Her voice was too quiet for Chuu to hear, “I may have to put you in that special room just for you for a day… to remind you who you really are.”

Chuu couldn’t hear her, but the pure, vivid fear in Yves’ eyes sparking something in her.

She didn’t know what she was doing, but before the thought could process, she had pushed Jiwoo by the shoulder, away from Yves.

She froze, her hands still raised. “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, “But we have to get back to class now, or we’ll get in trouble.” It was a lame excuse, but Jiwoo smiled.

“I understand. I have to get back to Kim Lip and the others myself, lest they worry,” she turned to leave, “Yves, I hope you enjoy your school life. I would be pleased… if you would come see me soon.”

Then, she was gone as swiftly and untraceably as wind through the cherry blossoms.

Chuu stared down at her hands.

_I can’t believe… I interfered like that. I was so out of line… Jiwoo had seemed so nice and polite, but something put that fear in Yves’ eyes. Even though she sounded gentle… Jiwoo’s eyes were not kind at all. Perhaps she hated me before I even met her._

“Are you sure she didn’t say anything strange to you?” Yves said suddenly.

“No… she really was just saying hello.”

_I really want to know why Jiwoo would hate me… but even more…_

“Yves!” Chuu exclaimed, “Let’s do something fun!”

“What?” Yves said, taken aback by the sudden change in pace.

“We get out of school early today! So we should do something fun! It’s a special occasion! We can all do something together!”

_I want the fear of Jiwoo  in Yves’ heart… to clear away._

* * *

 “I don’t think I know the rules,” Yves said, holding her racket.

“There are no rules in badminton,” Yeojin said in a deep voice, “You hit the birdie as hard as you can, back and forward. Matches are sudden death.”

The five girls gathered on the court after school.

“I think there’s probably some rules…” Chuu said, “But we’re doing this for fun anyways!”

“I like it. It’s straight forward,” Choerry nodded.

“It’s too straightforward!” Olivia snapped.

“We have 5 people though, how will we split up into teams?” Yves asked.

“I’ll referee,” Choerry said.

“I didn’t even want to play in the first place! Why can’t I be referee?” Olivia asked.

“Because I’m unbiased.” Choerry shrugged, “You’re definitely not.”

“And I need you to help me beat Yves and Chuu!” Yeojin piped up.

Nothing else needed to be said to get Olivia on board.

“Yay! Let’s play!” Chuu cheered.

* * *

 “On the way back in the car… she called Chuu ugly.” Kim Lip said. She and Haseul sat on Haseul’s porch.

_“She’s really ugly, isn’t she? And not very bright either. I guess I can relax. Yves will come back to me. She’s still afraid. That’s how I know she’ll never forget me. She’ll always be mine.”_

“Locking someone up in a dark room… and torturing them physically and mentally will leave all kinds of scars, it’s true…” Kim Lip continued, “But… What Jiwoo doesn’t understand is that if one person can hurt another, and give them scars… there’s sure to be someone who can heal them. Knowing that gives me hope for Yves. For all of us.”

The two of them looked up to the trees in silence.

“Besides, Chuu is totally cute. She’s _adorable_.”

“Coming from you, that sounds criminal.”

* * *

  _There was something I wanted… something I imagined..._

Yeojin dove for the birdie, yelling in triumph as she made contact and sent it flying to the other side.

_Loving parents… A happy home… with everyone smiling at me…_

Chuu let out an excited squeal as she managed to hit it back without missing for the first time.

_A home that no one would ever want to leave. A warm place…_

“Yves! You got this!” Chuu called to her as the birdie came her way.

_A warm person._

“Great job!!” Chuu screamed when Yves hit it.

_It exists._

* * *

 “Ugh!” Olivia grunted.

Everyone sat on the court, panting and exhausted.

“I’m so sweatyyy!” Yeojin whined.

“This is exactly why I didn’t play,” Choerry grinned.

Olivia threw the birdie at Choerry’s head, “Shut up…”

“It’s getting dark!” Chuu noted.

“Yeah, we should probably head home!” Choerry said, “Come on Yeojin.” She grabbed Yeojin by the hand and forced her up.

“Thank you,” Choerry said to Chuu quietly, “We were worried about Yves. But it looks like she’s doing okay.”

Chuu followed her gaze to Yves, who was on the ground, looking tired but content.

_Mom… today I met the head of the DeLune family. She’s a very difficult person to describe. I wonder how she fits into the legend? To be honest… she scared me just a little, even though she didn’t seem scary on the outside._

“Well, should we head home too?” Yves looked up at Chuu, her face glowing and peaceful.

“Yes!” Chuu smiled widely back.

_But…_

The three girls walked home. Olivia and Yves started up their usual bickering, but with a level of laziness.

_When we’re together… my fears suddenly fly to the other side of the stars._


	22. Yo listen up here's a story pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> about a little guy that lives in a blue world. and all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue. like him. inside and outside   
> (I'm so sorry. I'm tired so it's crack time in the title cause I can't think of titlessss)

“Which ones do you think will be ready to pick come May?”

“Hmm… I think the leeks, carrots, and… strawberries!” Yves replied.

“Yay! Finally!!” Chuu cheered. The both kneeled in their special clearing, tending to the garden. It was April, but it was still a pretty cold day, “I’m so excited! I can’t wait!”

Yves smiled softly, “Yeah. I can’t wait either.” The cold made the beautiful apples of Yves’ cheeks nice and rosy.

“Achoo!” Chuu sneeze suddenly.

“Maybe you should go inside,” Yves said humorously, “It’s pretty cold. We’re basically done here.”

“Oh… are you sure? Don’t you need more hel—” Chuu was cut off by the loud, drawn-out growl from Yves’ stomach.

“Also… I’m hungry,” Yves said, bashful.

Chuu laughed, “Okay! I’ll go get started on dinner!”

Chuu got up, dusted off her knees and headed back to the path to the house.

_Several days have passed since I met Jiwoo-nim… But Yves has remained cheerful. I’m so glad._

_I wonder what I should make for dinner…_

Chuu stopped suddenly. Several yards ahead, lay a pile of clothes. Chuu approached.

“What are these clothes doing here?” she wondered aloud. As she approached, she noticed something tiny and blue wriggling in the clothes. A fish? Wait. A member of the Legend??

Chuu suddenly panicked. This wasn’t a normal fish, but did it still need water??

“Ah!! Ms. Fish! Are you okay??” Chuu scooped it up in her hands. Luckily, she knew of a pond very close to where they were. She quickly ran towards it. “Don’t worry fishie! I won’t let you drown! Or, I guess… do fish drown in the air?? I don’t know, whatever! It doesn’t matter!”

The pond came into view, and Chuu hoped that she wouldn’t be too late. She was in such a panic and was so… well… Chuu, that of course her foot hit a tree root and she and the fish both went flying into the pond.

“KYAAAHHHH!” Chuu yelped as she landed in the freezing cold water.

Back at the garden, Yves heard Chuu’s cry. She bolted up and shot towards the sound.

“Chuu?? Are you okay??” She stopped when she found Chuu sitting in the shallow water, teeth chattering.

“Ms… Ms fish…” she shivered. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened, and she let out another yelp.

“Chuu, here,” Yves stood at the edge and held out a hand. She pulled Chuu up and out of the water, whose entire body was wracked with shivers.

“Y-y-yves…” She gulped, “It’s. It’s in…”

“What are you talking about Chuu?” Yves asked, worried. Did Chuu hit her head when she fell?

“It’s in my clothes!” Chuu finally cried out.

“What??” Yves said, taken aback. She looked down, and saw, underneath Chuu’s wet clothes that were clinging to her was a little wriggling shape near her chest. A leech perhaps?? Yves tried to blank her mind completely and did the only thing that seemed helpful. She reached into Chuu’s shirt and pulled out a small, blue beta fish.

* * *

 

“I’m hungry.” Olivia said, walking through the living room towards the kitchen.

“Chuu should be back soon.”

“It’s fine. I’ll make something myself.”

“Here, have some of this!” Kim Lip handed her a small bag.

Olivia looked in it to find celery sticks. She immediately threw it at the ground, “WOULD YOU STOP MAKING FUN OF ME?”

Kim Lip let out a false scandalized gasp, “Olivia! You mustn’t treat food like that!”

“SHUT UP!”

The front door opened and shut with a slam.

“Oh that must be them” Kim Lip started, before coming face to face with a small blue beta.

“We’re having fried fish for dinner.” Yves said icily.

“Jinsoul…?” Kim Lip said, surprised.

“Start up the stove. Put some oil in a pan. We’re frying this bitch. Now.” Yves continued angrily.

“Let’s not be rash…” Kim Lip said, “Just calm down.”

Kim Lip eventually coaxed Yves into handing the fish over, and Kim Lip filled the bath and put her in.

“As you can see,” Kim Lip explained, closing the door behind her, “Jinsoul is the fish. Because she’s the fish, she tends to get dehydrated very easily, and her body isn’t good with the cold because the beta fish is naturally from a warmer climate. She’s kind of reckless sometimes, and forgets to pack enough water with her on trips. My guess is that that, along with the cold, was too much for her body and caused her to transform. It’s lucky you found her when you did.”

“I see…” Chuu said, “Winter must be terrible for her.”

“It is.” Kim Lip nodded, “Jinsoul, Haseul, and I, are all the same age, so we went to school together throughout our whole childhood. We were the unbeatable three musketeers!” She winked.

“Wow!” Chuu clasped her hands in awe. She tried to imagine a young Kim Lip and Haseul. She bet they were just as popular as Olivia and Yves.

"They probably gave Haseul so many headaches..." Olivia muttered.

“But what did Jinsoul do to make you so upset Yves?” Kim Lip questioned.

“It’s so disgusting I don’t even want to talk about it.”

“Oh come on,” A melodic voice rang out from the bathroom, “It was hardly that bad. This is really no way to treat your sister.”

“….HUH??” Chuu gasped. Sister?

SISTER???

A loud poof and splash came next, and the door opened, revealing a very wet and very naked woman, pink smoke pouring out behind her. Chuu couldn’t decide whether to stare or avert her eyes, so she ended up going a bit cross-eyed. The woman was beautiful, with soulful eyes and wavy blonde hair. The water that dripped from her seemed like a part of her own body and spirit. Chuu thought that if she looked closely enough, maybe she could see the resemblance between her and Yves.

“Let me explain myself,” Jinsoul said, “You see… When I was put in the water, it was so cold. My body could hardly stand it. I was simply looking for warmth. The body in the water with me was the only source around. Can you blame me for the natural instincts that came over me?”

She smiled, carefree, “Hi everyone, and my dear little sister.”

“Could you please put some clothes on!!” Olivia shouted, covering Chuu’s eyes.

“You are dripping water all over the place…” Kim Lip added.

“Natural instincts??” Yves snapped, “You should be glad I didn’t call the police!”

“Jeez, what the heck did she do?” Olivia asked, still covering Chuu’s eyes.

“Uhhh….” Was all Chuu said, her face warm under Olivia’s hand.

“Oh! So Puppy Hye _is_ here! How exciting!” Jinsoul looked over to Olivia.

“I told you to stop calling me that!”

“Puppy Hye aside…” Jinsoul turned to Kim Lip, “Lippie…” her voice dropped, sultry, “I haven’t seen you since New Year’s. You haven’t been cheating on me, have you?”

Kim Lip gave her a sly smile back, “You know I would never dream of such a thing, Soulie…”

Then, they both broke into goofy smiles and gave each other a thumbs up, “Nice!”

The three younger girls were entirely confused.

“Now, as much as I enjoy being naked, would you mind grabbing me a robe? People have told me that they don’t like things in the house being wet, which I don’t get at all. I think EVERYTHING should be wet!”

“Ha! Yeah it should…” Kim Lip joked.

Jinsoul winked at Kim Lip.

Olivia smacked her hands around Chuu’s ears this time, “Will you two quit??”

Chuu was so taken aback. Jinsoul seemed to have a very different personality that Yves. She could hardly believe that the two were related. Who knew how this visit would turn out?

* * *

 

AN:

Y'ALL. I know it's a stretch but work with me here if you squint they kinda look alike. I'm doing my best here to make this align lmao

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only posting the first bit because I wanted it out by tonight but I'm too tired to write the rest so you'll have to wait til tomorrow for the next part! Only one more girl left!  
> Also yay for Loona's first win omg!! I teared up a little when I saw so proud of our girls.  
> Thanks to those of you who are sticking with the story and leaving comments and kudos! You guys lift my spirits when I'm working my 12 hour shifts <3


	23. Meet Halfway

“And you must be the sweet Chuu that I’ve heard so much about!! A beautiful princess trapped in this house of wild beasts!!”

Jinsoul had gotten dry and dressed. They all sat around the table. Chuu felt like she should be used to the tension by now, but it still tickled her back and made her uneasy.

“Don’t make fun of her!” Yves snapped.

Jinsoul blinked, “I’m not. I think she looks just like a princess!”

Chuu felt her cheeks heat up as Jinsoul brushed Chuu’s hair behind her ear.

“Now princess, could you make me some tea? And maybe hurry along with lunch!” Jinsoul tapped her hands on the table.

“She’s not a maid!” Olivia said heatedly.

“She’s made you far more than tea Olivia,” Kim Lip said nonchalantly, “I don’t see how this is such a big deal.”

“It’s the way she’s saying it! It’s disrespectful!”

Jinsoul sighed, “ _Fine._ If you insist,” Jinsoul stood from the table and grabbed Chuu’s hand, pulling her up as well, “Chuu, we’re going out for lunch!!”

“Ah! But… um,” Chuu started.

“Don’t worry! My treat!”

And before anyone else could say another word, she was pulling Chuu out the door at the speed of light.

The door slammed behind them. Yves and Olivia slowly turned to Kim Lip, murder in their eyes.

“Come on guys,’ Kim Lip laughed nervously, “No use getting mad at ME.”

* * *

 

“Have whatever you like. I’ll be getting the gyoza.”

Chuu sat stiffly at the restaurant table. It was such a whirlwind. She didn’t quite feel comfortable around Jinsoul yet. She certainly was a lot to take in.

“There’s no need to worry about the others,”’ Jinsoul continued, “They’re not children. They can feed themselves.”

“I just feel bad about imposing…” Chuu muttered.

Jinsoul suddenly got close to Chuu’s face, grasping her chin, “Are you saying you’ll refuse the food I buy for you?” Her voice was low and seductive.

“No!! That’s not what I meant at all,” Chuu insisted, frazzled.

“Okay!” Jinsoul chirped, flashing back to her lighthearted self and turning to a nearby waiter, “We’d like two orders of gyoza please!”

_This is all happening so fast…._

Chuu gathered her senses and courage and spoke, “Yves never mentioned having a sister… Especially a sister who was one of the legendary animals… Do Olivia and Kim Lip have siblings as well?”

“No,” Jinsoul shook her head, “They’re the only children of their family. As for Yves not mentioning me… It’s not surprising,” Jinsoul’s voice became quiet, though it remained cheerful, “As you saw, we don’t get along very well. I guess you could say we’re not really close,” Jinsoul took a drink of her water.

“We’re several years apart in age… And when Yves was a baby, she was sick a lot and was isolated for her health. I saw her so rarely, that I really only barely remembered that I had a sister in passing…”

“I had a carefree childhood. I could do whatever I wanted. By the time I realized the importance of a relationship between sisters, a deep, imposing rift had already formed between us…”

Chuu had to remember to breathe. She had gotten so caught up in the story, she’d been holding her breath.

“I heard that Yves had seen Jiwoo at school,” Jinsoul continued, “You met her too, right? It’s hard to explain, but Jiwoo is a real source of terror for Yves. Much more so than for the rest of us members of the legend. I thought I would come check on her. To be honest, I was hoping I could swoop in and take care of her… make her feel better. It’s embarrassing to admit I was disappointed to see her so cheerful.”

“Do you… regret it?” Chuu asked softly, “That you weren’t there to comfort her before?”

Jinsoul ran a hand through her hair, staring into her glass of water, “Becoming an adult is always a strange feeling. Things that never made sense as a child… become so clear. You can say to yourself, ‘when that happened, I should have said this,’ or ‘when this happened I should have done that.’ Those sort of things… you reach an understanding… rather than regret. Maybe it is like repenting. Maybe I want to erase the ignorant self of my childhood, even if it is too late. I want to make Yves understand. To make myself feel better perhaps? I guess that’s why they say adults are selfish…”

The look in Jinsoul’s eyes were so far away. Chuu could hardly recognize this melancholy version of her.

“My mom said…” Chuu started, “That when you become a parent, you finally understand how a parent feels. After being a child for so long, you finally see the other side. But more important than that… you should always remember what it feels like to be a child. The first time you do a perfect cartwheel, the first time you get in big trouble… If you can really remember how it felt to be a child, even if you’re an adult or a parent, it can help you understand each other. Even if you can’t reach a complete understanding, you can at least meet each other halfway! She also said…” Chuu smiled to herself,  “That thinking that way makes life more fun!”

She realized that Jinsoul was now staring at her instead of the glass. Chuu got flustered. She’d done it again!

“What I mean is… Maybe you and Yves can find a way to meet each other halfway from now on! Instead of trying to make her understand what you see, try to see what she sees! And maybe she can do the same!!” Chuu realized her voice had gotten very loud and ducked her head in embarrassment, “I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t be sorry,” Jinsoul said, “I was thinking… that was a very beautiful thing to say…”

Chuu perked up, “Yeah! Mom was the best!”

“I was actually talking about—Nevermind…” Jinsoul said, “I think I can see why Yves is so cheerful. Perhaps thinking like you… can be the first step to mending our relationship.” Jinsoul smiled, “Please continue to honor Yves with your friendship.”

* * *

 

“Chuu! Are you okay?” Yves was waiting in the seat closest to the door when Chuu returned.

“Yes I’m fine,” Chuu smiled.

“She didn’t cause you any trouble, did she?”

“No! She treated me to gyoza! It was really nice!”

“Well, that’s good, I guess.”

“Uh… Yves? Do you hate Jinsoul…?”

Yves looked surprised, “I mean… no. I wouldn’t say I hate her… I guess she’s just a sore spot for me. Especially because I really can’t seem to understand her. I never get what she’s thinking.”

“Well if it’s a sore spot, we should heal it!!” Came a voice from nowhere, “We can understand each other better if we meet each other halfway!!”

Yves face turned to stone as she pinpointed the source of the noise as coming from inside Chuu’s shirt.

“Ah… well,” Chuu stammered, pulling a small glass of water out of her shirt, “You see, the cold made Jinsoul transform again! So I put her in this glass but I had to keep her warm or she would die!”

“Uhhh….” Olivia had come in just in time to see what was going on.

The small blue beta did a little somersault, “Because I’m a tropical creature!”

“YOU’RE NO SISTER OF MINE!!” Yves stormed away.

“You can’t change the truth little sister!!” Jinsoul called after her.

“Here, let me take that,” Kim Lip said, taking the glass out of Chuu’s hands.

“Kim Lip, can I stay the night?”


	24. You and I are locked in memories-- erasing each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In your cold eyes  
> I can’t see myself anymore  
> Words that I couldn’t say to you  
> They’re useless now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that I actually took the time to think of a title this time even though it's way too long. It's from Jinsoul and Kim Lip's "Love Letter." This was actually the first time I looked at the lyrics and omg it's so sad and beautiful?  
> I thought it kind of related because the two sisters are being kept apart because of their memories, and Jinsoul has regrets the things she didn't say, things that are too late to say now.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Olivia opened her eyes groggily at the sound of her alarm. She rolled over… and came face to face with Jinsoul.

“Just five more minutes…” Jinsoul whined, snuggling up to Olivia.

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!!”

* * *

 

“I was going to sleep in Yves’ room, but she locked the door!”

“Why didn’t you sleep in Kim Lip’s room again??”

Everyone was sat down for breakfast. The three youngest were dressed for school. Olivia was furious, but Yves was surprisingly quiet.

“I couldn’t. Lippie would have kept me up all night…” Jinsoul pouted.

“Now, now Jinsoulie,” Kim Lip said, not looking up from the morning paper, “Not in front of the children.”

 “I’m going to lose my mind…” Olivia stared down at her untouched breakfast, “I’m really losing it.”

“Fine. If you insist, I guess I’ll just have to sleep in Chuu’s room tonight then!”

“WHY DON’T YOU JUST GO HOME???”

Jinsoul had been visiting for two days, but the rift between her and Yves just seemed to be growing.

* * *

 

“Really? Jinsoul-unnie is visiting?”

Back at school, the girls were cleaning the yard along with Choerry and Yeojin.

“I haven’t seen her since New Year’s!” Yeojin continued, “Because she lives on the outside!”

“Really? I didn’t know,” Chuu said. She wondered how normal it was for so many of the legendary animals to live away from the DeLune estate.

“Maybe I should come visit!” Yeojin exclaimed, “But… I guess I shouldn’t get in the way of the sisters’ bonding…”

“Yeah… bonding,” Choerry said sarcastically, looking at Yves. Yves was raking leaves a little ways away. Recently, she seemed to have become very withdrawn. She was clearly being weighed down by Jinsoul’s visit, but Chuu couldn’t think of a way to cheer her up.

Chuu looked at Choerry, and noticed the expression on her face, as well as the ring of purple on her left eye. Chuu hesitated. She hadn’t seen Mirror-Choerry come out since she told Chuu to stay away from the DeLune family. However, even without the eye, it was strikingly easy to see the difference. While Choerry was bubbly, Mirror had a calculating and quiet expression.

Mirror-Choerry turned to Chuu, giving her a look of warning, but didn’t say anything. Her eyes seemed to say, “I see that you didn’t listen to me, and I am not happy about it. But I’ll have to deal with you later.”

Slowly, the purple ring shifted to her right eye instead, and Choerry blinked dizzily.

She looked down at the broom in her hand, and the large patch of cleaned concrete.

“Ah! I guess I must have zoned out again, and Mirror-unnie took over for me! Thank you Mirror-unnie!”

“Ugh,” Yeojin scoffed, “I wish I had someone in my brain who could take over and do my chores and homework for me.”

“I wouldn’t make Mirror-unnie do my homework for me!!” Choerry shook her head, “She only helps me with math sometimes… because she pays better attention than me…” she said bashfully.

Chuu looked back over to Yves, wondering what Mirror had been thinking.

* * *

 

“Wow! You guys came right back after school. You must have been so excited to see me! I'm flattered.”

Jinsoul and Kim Lip were at the table having tea when the girls had arrived home from school.

“Though, to be honest, I was hoping for more alone time with Chuu…” Jinsoul continued.

The stiff expressions on Yves’ and Olivia’s faces said that was exactly why they rushed home.

Chuu saw a few books on the table and got closer, “What are you guys looking at?”

“Our old photos from when we were in highschool!” Kim Lip replied, pushing the photo album towards Chuu.

Chuu looked over their shoulders down at the pictures.

“Is that… Ms. Haseul?”

“Yep!” Jinsoul said, “We three were inseparable!”

 _They look so young…_ Chuu thought. _And Jinsoul… she looks just like Yves, except…_

“So you’ve been blonde since highschool?”

“Of course! This is my natural color, believe it or not! Of course, they didn’t believe me, and it was against the school rules to dye your hair.”

“Oh?” Chuu asked.

“Here Yves!” Jinsoul held up the photobook to her passing sister, “Learn more about your older sister!!”

“I’ll pass,” Yves huffed, sitting down on the couch.

“You’re so stubborn,” Jinsoul sulked, “I guess… I’ll just have to tell the story of why I was allowed to keep my hair blonde!!”

“What???”

“You left me no choice!” Jinsoul said dramatically, “You see, it was right after orientation…”

Olivia poured herself a cup of tea, “She just wants to hear herself talk...”

“The principal pulled me aside and said…

_‘It’s made very clear in the school rules that you must have a natural hair color. Have it dyed back by tomorrow.’_

‘ _But…’_

_‘No. There will be no exceptions to the rule. I’ll call the head of your family.’_

_‘But I come from a royal family,’ A fire blazed in Jinsoul’s eyes as she looked boldly at the principal._

_‘Huh?’_

_‘I’ve been hiding it until now, but in truth there is a country I must return to.’_

_‘W-what?’_

_‘If you must know, my hair is blonde because… it is said that the first queen, the honorable Rurubara, received a message at the age of four. It was from the great Kandora, who illuminates the four directions with gold and red light. When Kandora chanted the words ‘Ma Rudu Mani’ his forehead illuminated with a blue light, and like a pony struck, Rurubara was whipped into liberation!! In her sleep, with a wave of compassion, her tresses glowed like a full moon and lost their color!”_

_The principal was fidgeting awkwardly at Jinsoul’s rant, but Jinsoul showed no sign of stopping._

_‘In her sleep she began to weep! And said ‘gamatunari!’ which our language means ‘go forth and shine light!’ To this day, all of her female descendants have been required to bleach their hair of its color to honor that day!’_

_‘Ummm… I actually have to go to a meeting…’ The principal started to edge back towards the door._

_‘But I haven’t finished the story yet,’ Jinsoul said dangerously._

_‘It’s okay! You can keep your hair blonde!’_

“And that’s how I was able to bend the rules!” Jinsoul finished.

“Wow!” Chuu said, “You’re from a royal family??”

“Obviously it was a lie, Chuu,” Olivia said, knocking her lightly on the head, “You need to stop being so gullible.”

“Oh. Right…” Chuu laughed bashfully.

“Oh the memories…” Kim Lip said with nostalgia.

“This is unbelievable…” Yves rubbed her temples.

“You wanna know what was really unbelievable?” Kim Lip smirked, “Jinsoul was student body president.”

“Really?? That’s amazing!” Chuu gasped.

“Well, Jinsoul was very popular in school. She was charming and good looking, and the best on the swim team!” Kim Lip told them, “And she actually did make a lot of changes! School became a lot more fun, and the students really loved her. I guess she had a knack for it.”

In spite of herself… Yves caught herself listening.

“I always thought Haseul would make a much better president. She was always much more responsible than me. Don’t you remember the school trip incident?”

“Ha, how could I forget?”

“What happened…?” Yves asked from the couch.

Chuu perked up. _Yves is taking interest in Jinsoul! This is your time to shine Jinsoul-unnie!! Bridge the gap between you!_

“Well, on the trip, a few of the students wandered into the Red Light District,” Jinsoul explained.

Olivia choked on her tea.

“Oh.” Yves deadpanned.

“Don’t judge them too harshly!” Jinsoul insisted, “It was perfectly natural for any young men and women to be curious about such things.”

“Of course, we didn’t go with them. We’d long ago satisfied any curiosity over such things.”

Yves and Olivia both grimaced. Chuu’s brain seemed to have just shorted out completely and she was staring blankly at Jinsoul.

“Well, I guess the students’ luck had run out because they got caught. The staff even wanted to have them expelled. There was a conference, with the students, their parents, and the teachers. As student body president, I obviously had to stand up for them…

_‘They set foot in the Red Light District as minors… Obviously, these actions are unacceptable. Rules are made to be followed. Without them, order is lost. However, if all sexual desire is denied as evil, we will surely regret it.” Jinsoul leaned with her hands pressed against the table, her face solemn, “Because humans are burdened with the responsibility of populating the earth. I believe that sexual desire is in part a desire to fulfill that obligation. Is that something to be ashamed of? Is that a sin?’_

_‘President…’_

_‘Jinsoul is unusually serious today…’ the principal muttered._

_‘So I guess she really was playing dumb this whole time…’ the vice principle thought to himself._

_‘Therefore here and now, I make a proposal. To the underage youths who carry these carnal desires that have no place within our vague rules…’ Jinsoul slammed her hand on the table, ‘Let us extend the hand of salvation!! From now on…’ Jinsoul stood up straight, opening her arms, ‘DIRECT YOUR PASSIONS AT ME!’_

_Every mouth in the room dropped in shock._

_‘As the student body president, it only makes sense that I should shoulder the weight of their carnal desires!! Even those from the girls, which should make their parents relieved!! So please, lust after me!’_

_‘Of course we will, president!!” the students said, moved._

_‘SHE’S INSANE!’ The teachers all agreed without question._

_Jinsoul was dragged out of the conference._

_‘She really was an idiot all along…’ the vice principal sighed._

_‘Don’t worry about me Haseul,’ Jinsoul called, ‘I may appear fragile but I’m in control!’_

_Haseul put her face in her hands._

And… so goes my wonderful story,” Jinsoul finished, smiling.

“WHAT A STUPID STORY!!” Olivia yelled.

“How rude,” Jinsoul huffed, “Thanks to me, everyone was saved from expulsion!”

“Actually, that’s because Haseul stepped in afterwards and bailed everyone out…” Kim Lip added, “And Jinsoul kept her presidency until graduation.”

“So what do you think Yves? Have you learned more about your sister?” Jinsoul looked at Yves eagerly.

Yves smiled back, “Get out.” She said icily.

 _OH NO!!! THE RIFT!_ Chuu thought desperately, _THE RIFT!!_

“Oh, well I guess I’ll just have to tell you the story about the chairman’s statue!”

“Don’t bother. Just leave.”

“It was a beautiful summer’s day…”

“Get out!!” Yves stood from the couch, clenching her fists.

“Can't you do something about her??” Olivia snapped at Kim Lip.

“Why?” Kim Lip asked, “We’re having fun!”’

“Yeah!” Jinsoul agreed, “Fun!”

“We’re suffering!!”

“Well,” Kim Lip leaned back in her chair, “To be honest there’s nothing I can really do about it either… She doesn’t listen to me. The only person she listens to is—”

“Hey.”

Everyone turned to see Haseul standing behind them.

“The door was open, so I let myself in,” she said. She seemed tired. She was wearing a suit and tie, with her jacket off and hanging over her arm.

“Eh? Haseul?” Chuu said in surprise.

“Speak of the devil…” Kim Lip said.

“Haseul! What brings you here?” Jinsoul asked eagerly.

 “Choerry asked me to come and take Jinsoul home,” Haseul replied, “That’s enough for today Jinsoul. Let’s go home.”

“Bye-bye then!!” Jinsoul skipped to Haseul’s side.

“What??” All three of the younger girls said.

“Did you walk Haseulie?” Jinsoul asked.

“No I’m parked out front.”

“Okay! Let me drive back as an apology!”

“What the hell is going on?” Olivia asked, stricken.

“Are you sad to see me go?” Jinsoul asked Olivia, “I’m sorry but Haseul said it was time to go back so I must go!” She turned to Yves, “Yves, with everything that happened, all the excitement, we didn’t get to talk much. But don’t fret. I’ll be back little sister.”

“You’re the one who caused all the ‘excitement’…” Yves muttered.

“Alright let’s go Haseul! See you soon Lippie,” Jinsoul waved, “Bye my friends!”

Jinsoul winked at Chuu as she left, and was gone.

“What the hell?? That’s all it took?”

“Jinsoul only listens to Haseul,” Kim Lip shrugged, “It’s always been like that.”

“Why?” Chuu asked curiously.

“The easiest way to put it I suppose, is that she admires Haseul. There’s something that Haseul has that Jinsoul looks up to, something that she loves. She adores her, really. ”

“And so… Haseul became her babysitter?” Olivia scoffed.

“Yeah,” Kim Lip laughed, “I guess so.”

* * *

 

“Sorry to trouble you like this,” Jinsoul said on the way to the car.

“If you don’t want to trouble me, then think about your actions next time.”

“But I do! I just can’t seem to get Yves to open up to me!”

“Yves’ resistance isn’t out of ignorance. I’m sure she understands on some level what you are trying to do. But she’s still a child. There are things she’s not ready to let go of. There’s no rush.” Haseul looked up at the night sky.

Jinsoul watched her admiringly, “Chuu reminds me of you, you know. She spends all of her energy helping other people. And you both say exactly what I need to hear… I’m… really bad at the sort of thing,” she looked down at her feet, “I can’t compete with you at all, Seulie…”

_There’s no rush…_

* * *

 

“Jinsoul’s stories are pretty funny!” Chuu said cheerfully. She and Yves stood in the kitchen. Yves dried the dishes after Chuu washed them.

“She’s hopeless…” Yves replied, frowning.

“Oh. But uh… I mean,” Chuu scrambled. The rift!

“I suppose she’s got a good side though…”

Chuu looked over in surprise.

“The way she stands up for others… at her own expense… I guess that’s pretty cool…” Yves seemed sincere, albeit reluctant.

Chuu smiled softly. Perhaps it could work after all… Chuu looked out of the kitchen door into the living room, where she could see Olivia’s back at the table. Maybe if Jinsoul and Yves could meet half-way, there was hope for Olivia and Yves as well…

* * *

 

“Choerry…”

Choerry looked up to see Yves approaching her in the school library.

“Hi Yves! What’s up?”

“Yesterday… You looked out for me and talked to Haseul… Thank you.”

Choerry blinked a few times, then smiled, “You’re welcome!”

When Yves turned and left, Choerry frowned.

“I didn’t talk to Haseul…?” she muttered, rubbing her left eye.


	25. No Memory is Okay to Forget

“Kim Lip… on May 1st, could I go out that afternoon?”

Kim Lip looked up from her phone. Chuu was holding that night’s dishes, on her way to the kitchen. Yves was wiping the table. “Of course. You don’t have to ask me! Do you have special plans?”

“Yes! It’s the anniversary of mom’s death, so I’m going to visit her grave!” Chuu’s voice and face were entirely too cheerful to be explaining such a thing. But that’s just how she was, wasn’t it?

“Oh…” Kim Kip said, “It’s the first anniversary, right? Sorry I can’t be there.”

“No! It’s fine! I’m not doing anything special. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Uh… Could I come along?” Yves asked politely, “I think I would like to meet your mother…”

“Huh?” Chuu was surprised, “Of course! Mom would love that! Thank you so much!”

“If you don’t have any plans, you should go too,” Kim Lip said to Olivia, who was standing quietly in the doorway.

Olivia didn’t respond, seeming lost in her own thoughts.

* * *

 

“Thank you so much for your help Yeojin!” Chuu said as she lugged a bag of trash outside to the dumpster.

“Of course!” Yeojin chirped, “It’s fun!”

Yeojin had come at the end of Chuu’s night shift again, something that was becoming quite frequent.

“To be honest, I used to come here all the time! Since this is my Papa’s building! It’s more fun now that you’re here though.”

“What??”Chuu almost dropped the trash, “Your father works here?”

“Haha, more than works here,” Yeojin laughed, “He owns the building!”

Chuu felt dizzy, “Owns it?” Did this mean she was working for the DeLune’s in more than one way??

“Yep! Mama and my little sister, Momo, should be coming to pick him up from work soon!”

“You have a little sister??” Chuu couldn’t believe she had no idea about Yeojin’s family. However… she guessed none of the members of the legend talked much about their family at all…

“Here look! I have a picture!” Yeojin pulled out a small photobook and flipped it open. Inside was a picture of a man, a woman, and a small girl. “I take after my mama!”

She sure did, “Yeojin your mom is so beautiful! And you and Momo look just like her!!” Something was nagging at the back of Chuu’s mind about the photo though.

“I know!” Yeojin agreed, “Papa was lucky to find such a pretty girl! And isn’t Momo sooo cute? She follows Mama around like a baby duck!”

Chuu threw the trash into the dumpster and brushed her hands off on her apron. “So if they’re coming here, you’ll all go home together right? How fun!” She took the book from Yeojin to get a closer look.

“Ha, I wish! Mama doesn’t know about me!”

_Huh…?_

“Yeojin, is that you?”

A voice came from behind them.

They turned around to see… the woman from the photo!

“What are you doing in a place like this so late at night?”

Yeojin’s mother was just as beautiful as her photo.

_And the girl clinging to her skirt! That must be Momo! They all look like the same person at different ages!_

“My friend works here, so I came to play!” Yeojin smiled bashfully.

“But this isn’t a playground,” Yeojin’s mother frowned.

“I know! I’m sorry!” Yeojin bowed apologetically.

“Besides, if you’re out too late, won’t your mother worry?”

Chuu’s breath caught. She looked at Yeojin, trying to get a read on her, but she was smiling as happily as ever. She looked down to the photo in her hands and realized what had bothered her. It was a family photo, but why wasn’t Yeojin in it?

“I know! I’m leaving now actually!”

“Well, don’t take any shortcuts, stay safe. Come on Momo, Papa must be tired of waiting. Goodnight miss, thank you for your hard work,” she smiled politely as she passed Chuu and walked into the building.

“How unlucky,” Yeojin sighed, “She saw me! I’ll have to apologize to Papa…”

“Yeojin..?”

Yeojin looked back at Chuu’s worried face, and her own became more somber.

“Yeah. Mama doesn’t remember me,” Yeojin looked down at her feet, “More specifically, her memories were suppressed. She thinks I’m just another one of the DeLune children.”

Chuu felt her chest get tight, “But… how?” she said quietly.

“Children who are cursed by the vengeful spirits… are born two months early. To meet your true love… marry them… have a child together… and then have that baby turn into an animal in your arms the first time you hold them… What despair a mother would feel…”

Chuu clutched the photo to her chest as Yeojin continued. Yeojin couldn’t seem to look her in the eye,  “The mothers of children with vengeful spirits either becoming extremely protective of them… or reject them entirely. My mother rejected me. She rejected me with her whole body. She couldn’t even look at me. She was always irritated, hysterical… Looking back now, I can tell she was broken, just like Kana was.”

_“Yeojin… your Mama’s case seems hopeless now… But they say she might get better… if she forgets about you. I understand it’s hard, but Papa will love you more than enough for the both of us… If you love Mama too, will you help her?”_

_Yeojin was only five years old as her father cried onto her shoulder… and when she peered into Haseul’s office._

_“Are really okay with forgetting your only child? You won’t regret it?” Haseul asked._

_“The only thing I regret… is that that **creature** came out of my body…”_

“And so… I disappeared from Mama’s memories. She eventually got better. In two months she could smile again.”

Chuu realized that she was crying now, tears streaming silently down her face. She tried to cover it with the photobook.

“I wonder if I really did help Mama…”

_All this time… Yeojin’s been quietly watching… from afar so she won’t be seen… Did she come to visit me, or was she hoping to catch a glimpse of her mother every night?_

“But I think she was wrong… I want to live with all my memories. Even if they’re sad. Even if they are memories that only hurt me. Even… even if they’re memories I would rather forget. If I keep them and stop running away, I think one day I’ll be strong enough so those memories can’t defeat me…”

Images flashed unbidden in Chuu’s mind.

_The sight of her mother leaving their front door for the last time… the phone call at school… her mother in that hospital bed, face covered in bandages…_

Could she really be strong enough one day?

“I want to believe that. I don’t think there’s a memory that’s okay to forget… That’s why… I didn’t want Mama to forget. I wanted her to keep trying. But… maybe that was my selfishness.”

Yeojin finally looked up at Chuu, who was crying in earnest. She held a finger up to her lips and smiled, “But shh… it’s a secret.”

Without thinking, Chuu threw herself at Yeojin, wrapping her into a hug. The inevitable puff of pink smoke surrounded them.

_Me too…_

“I also believe that,” Chuu cried. She clutched the small frog to her chest. She didn’t know if frogs could cry, but she thought she heard a sniffle.

_I want to take any memory, and hold it in my heart… Mom… Dad… So I can become someone who can’t be defeated by those memories. Someday… we’ll be strong enough. We’ll overcome the pain, and have only precious memories._

* * *

 

“Hey.”

Yves looked up from her textbook to see Olivia standing in her bedroom doorway.

“I’m coming… tomorrow. To the grave.”

“Why are you telling me…?” Yves raised an eyebrow.

Olivia huffed and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention Fruitsbasket is also one of the most heartbreaking mangas on the planet and I cry every time I read it?   
> I can't believe we're getting another album AND Fruitsbasket is having a new anime!! ;_;


	26. Curiosity

“The weather turned out nice after all,” Yves said, looking up at the sky, “I was afraid the rain wasn’t going to let up.”

The sky was a pure blue, with the last remaining clouds scattered throughout. It had rained all night, and the trees were still glistening with water, the lush green in the full bloom only present right on the line of spring and summer.

“Yes!” Chuu agreed, “Mom must know we’re coming to visit. She’s smiling down on us.”

Kim Lip had offered to drive them, but Chuu insisted on walking, since the rain had stopped. The walk wasn’t too long. Her mother’s grave was near Chuu’s grandfather’s house.

Olivia walked silently behind them.

When they arrived, the grave had already been cleaned, and a small container of food was resting on top.

“Oh! Grandpa must have been here,” Chuu smiled, “He’s the only one who knew her favorite food too! It was nice of him to visit her.”

“Nice?” Yves asked, confused, “Why wouldn’t he visit his daughter’s grave?”

“Oh,” Chuu shook her head, “Grandpa isn’t mom’s dad, he’s my dad’s dad,” She motioned to the grave right next to her mother’s. It read, “Kim Katsuya, father and husband.”

“My mother didn’t really get along with her parents,” Chuu continued.

Yves suddenly realized that it had never occurred to her where Chuu’s father was. Chuu never mentioned him. Yves had assumed maybe Chuu’s mom was a single mother, and the father had left. But both of her parents had died. Chuu was a true orphan.

But you couldn’t tell it by her face. She looked so cheerful. Yves didn’t know if she could smile like that in the situation Chuu was in, in front of her own parents’ graves.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your father,” Yves said quietly.

Chuu’s smile faltered only slightly, “Yes. He died when I was very young. He got very sick. It’s nice that I can visit them both at the same time though!”

Chuu took her bag off her shoulder and pulled out a blanket and several containers of food. She laid the blanket out and placed the food down before sitting on the blanket.

“Uh…” Yves said.

“You can’t just have a picnic on a grave!” Olivia finally spoke up.

“Eh? Why not?” Chuu said, opening up a container of strawberries, “Mom always loved parties, she said if she ever died she wanted us to have fun in her memory. We had picnics on my Dad’s grave sometimes.”

Yves shrugged and sat down next to Chuu, but Olivia hesitated.

“Hi mom!” Chuu said, “I brought Olivia and Yves with me to visit you! They’re very important to me, and I know you would like them a lot!”

Yves gave a small bow, “It’s very nice to meet you Ms. Kim. Thank you so much for bringing Chuu into this world. I’m sure you must have been just as wonderful as her.”

Chuu started to reach out, then clenched her fists tight to her body, her eyes shining. “Thank you, Yves,” she said softly.

Olivia sat down next to them, “Please say you brought some meat, or at least fish.”

Chuu grinned and opened another container, which had premade kebabs in it.

Olivia eagerly took one from her and bit into it. They all ate quietly for a moment before Olivia spoke up curiously.

“So… Why didn’t your mom and her parents get along?”

Yves gave Olivia a brief glance, understanding the motivation behind the question.

“Mom was kind of a troublesome kid,” Chuu smiled, “When she was in middle school, she joined a gang, and became a fearsome and renowned leader!”

Yves and Olivia blinked at her a few times in shock.

“A… a gang?” Yves repeated.

“Yep! They called her the Red Butterfly!”

“…why?”

“They say that she would bike by so fast, that all you could see was the flashing red lights on the back of her bike, like a glowing red butterfly flying through the night!”

“Was she… still in a gang when you were born?”

“No,” Chuu shook her head, “she met my Dad and he helped her get through her anger and believe in a better life for herself. They almost killed her when she quit, but she survived. They loved each other so much,” Chuu smiled, holding her hands to her heart.

Olivia and Yves were still reeling. It was hard to imagine that Chuu was the daughter of a hard gang leader.

Yves tried to change the subject and ask more questions about Chuu’s mother. Chuu was happy to talk about her, as always. Despite her dark background, Chuu’s mother was clumsy, loving, and a doting but overworrying parent. She was a terrible cook, which encouraged Chuu to learn at a young age.

“What about you guys?” Chuu said suddenly, “I feel like I talk so much about my mom but never hear about yours! It’s not fair of me to go on like this,” she laughed bashfully.

“Ah…” Yves said, “I don’t really have the best relationship with my mother. She was always more interested in the status I gave her than her actual daughter.”

“Status…?” Chuu asked.

“Well, giving birth to any member of the legend automatically brings you to the inner circle, so when Jinsoul was born, it helped my parents’ status in the family significantly but… to have the swan… is a privilege.”

Olivia scoffed and looked away.

“That Jiwoo also took me in her favor… it was everything my mom could hope for, even if I wasn’t happy.”

Chuu listened with bated breath. This was the most she had ever gotten Yves to open up about when it came to her family. But she could see by Yves’ expression that the moment was ending. She’d already said more than she’d meant to.

“And you, Olivia, what about your mom?” Chuu hoped to keep the ball rolling with Olivia.

Yves suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

“She’s dead,” Olivia said simply.

Now it was Chuu’s turn to be shocked.

“I-I’m sorry!”’ she said. God she was such an idiot. Clearly, neither of them ever brought up their parents for a reason!

“Don’t worry about it,” Olivia said, “It happened a long time ago.”

“Still… I’m sorry…” Chuu hung her head, “To both of you. I always push you guys for information, but I never thought you might be staying quiet about it because it’s painful. I’m so selfish...”

“Idiot.”

Chuu looked up in surprise. She was used to being called that, but it wasn’t Olivia’s voice this time. Now it was Yves. Even Olivia looked surprised.

“Of all the things I would call you—silly, clumsy, kind,  forgetful, cute, SO many things—selfish is dead last. I can’t think of a single word that describes you less. All you ever think about is other people, and even being around you isn’t enough to make me and this dumbass think about anything BUT ourselves. We’re at your _mother’s grave_. For once, don’t worry about us.”

Olivia opened and closed her mouth a few times, seeming to bounce back and forward between wanting to argue certain points and wanting to add on a few of her own in agreement. Instead she just said, “Yeah. What she said.”

Chuu smiled and nodded quietly. Then, her eyes seemed to light up, “You think I’m cute?”

Yves gaped for a second, then scolded her, “THAT’S what you got from all that?”

Chuu giggled and Yves scooped some of the dessert Chuu had brought onto her finger and went for her face.

“Noooo!” Chuu yelled playfully, leaning back.

“Get over here!”

Olivia rolled her eyes, but was relieved at the change in mood, nonetheless.

“Oliviaaa! Save mee!”

“Oh hell no don’t bring that over here!”

When the cemetery keeper heard all the shouting and laughing, he thought he was going to have to go kick some hooligans off of the property. But when he saw the girls, recognizing Chuu from the funeral a year ago, he just smiled and went back to his post.

* * *

 

Chuu sat on the front porch that evening, drinking tea and looking out to the forest.

_Mom, I’m so glad you got to meet Yves and Olivia today. They’re so special to me… and I think… I think they really care about me. I know you would have loved them too…_

* * *

 

Yves stepped out onto the front porch. Chuu had gone outside a while ago, and it was starting to get chilly.

She looked down and sighed.

Chuu had fallen asleep on the porch, her empty teacup beside her. She was curled up in a ball on her side.

Yves crouched down and touched Chuu’s shoulder lightly, “Chuu.”

Chuu gave a small sigh and rolled onto her back, still fast asleep.

“Heavy sleeper, huh?” Yves said quietly, sitting down next to Chuu.

She found herself unwilling to wake Chuu up… just for a moment. She stared down Chuu’s delicate features, her round cheeks. Gently, she reached out and brushed Chuu’s bangs out of her eyes. For just a second, instead of bringing her hand back to her side, she let her fingers rest on top of Chuu’s open hand, feeling the warmth of her palm. Even on this cool spring evening, Chuu still emanated warmth, figuratively and literally.

Yves brought her knees up under chin and looked up at the moon. It was waxing, almost full.

_What do I call this feeling?_


	27. Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little prequel for the chapter coming up tomorrow!

A small room, darker than dark. Yves couldn’t hear anything but her own breathing and the hard pounding of her own heart. Her mouth tasted like metal. Was it blood? Or fear?

She heard a noise outside and she lifted her head. The door opened, blinding Yves’ with the light from outside. After her eyes adjusted, she saw her mother looking down at her. 

“Mom!” Yves’ gasped, “Please. Please let me come home with you…”

Her mother didn’t respond. Her face was cold. Emotionless.

“Mom… please. Please don’t leave me here anymore! I want to go home!” Yves’ voice was young, probably no older than seven. She was too weak to stand, her voice breaking as she started to cry desperately.

Her mother started to turn away.

“Mom!!! Please!” Yves pleaded once more. As her mother left, another small figure came to stand in the doorway instead. 

“My beautiful swan…” a voice as soft as cotton candy said. Yves flinched back in fear as a young Jiwoo approached her. 

Jiwoo knelt beside her and put her arms around Yves. She stroked her hair and quietly shushed Yves comfortingly. Yves realized she had been hyperventilating. Her sobs and quick breaths started to slow into a small hiccuping cry. 

“It’s okay…” Jiwoo said softly, “You’re fine… see? I told you everything would be okay…” Jiwoo put her cheek on Yves’ head, “Don’t you feel better now that we’re together? You feel better, right?”

Yves nodded silently. Jiwoo pressed her lips against Yves’ temple.

“That’s right. That’s because you’re mine.”

* * *

 

Drenched in sweat, Yves woke up with a gasp.


	28. See Saw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The day has been filled with fake plastered smiles"

“Wow!! Look at the lake! It’s so beautiful,” Chuu chirped, leaning out of the large window, “and big!”

The sun glimmered off of the waves of the lake, completely surrounded by trees. It was quiet, with no one else in sight. It was so peaceful, completely unaware of what it was in store for.

“Is it really that unusual for you to see a lake?” Haseul asked, leaning casually next to her, her hand holding onto the top of the windowsill.

“Yes!! It’s my first time seeing one in real life!”

“A family in a summer cabin by a secluded lake…” Kim Lip said from the couch, “You’d almost except the babadook to show up…”

Yves rolled her eyes, “There she goes again…” Yves sat on the windowsill on the other side of Chuu. 

“Where have I heard that before…?” Olivia muttered to herself, “Babawhat?”

“The Babadook is a new species of bear, do you live under a rock, Olivia?” Kim Lip teased.

“Shut up I knew that!!”

“That’s not…” Haseul started.

“Is it a foreign bear?” Chuu asked, confused.

Haseul gave a resigned sigh.

It was all very sudden, but Chuu was at the DeLune summerhome by the lake. The house was quite large and beautiful, even bigger than Kim Lip’s house. Sometimes Chuu forgot just how much money the DeLune’s had. Her life with Olivia, Yves, and Kim Lip was so normal (well… as normal as it could be), she forgot about their family’s wealth. It really was the perfect day to go up to the lake. But… something felt off.

“Chuu…” Yves started.

“Yeah?” 

Yves looked away.

“Nothing. Sorry. Nevermind.”

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it… but Yves and Olivia had been acting strange. 

It all began yesterday, the night after they had visited her mother’s grave. They all ate dinner in absolute silence. It was as if the two of them had something very heavy on their minds.

Kim Lip had burst in and interrupted the awkward affair.

“I’m home!!”

“Welcome back Kim Lip!” Chuu smiled.

“You guys will come with me tomorrow, won’t you?”

“Huh?” All three looked at Kim Lip in confusion.

“Well tomorrow is the beginning of golden week, isn’t it? You don’t get opportunities to go on vacation very often! Let’s go somewhere!”

“Can you start making sense sometime soon Kim Lip?”

“I was thinking we could go to the DeLune summerhome. What do you think Chuu?”

“Oh! But I already went on a trip once this year! To go again would be too much…”

“But I didn’t go with you that time,” Kim Lip frowned, “To be truthful, my heart longed to go with you… I felt so left out.”

Chuu looked at Kim Lip with shining eyes, easily convinced, “Okay! Let’s go together!”

“Don’t manipulate her!” Olivia snapped, throwing a chopstick at Kim Lip.

“Why do you always throw your chopsticks at me,” Kim Lip whined, “You two will join us, won’t you? You wouldn’t dare leave me alone with poor defenseless Chuu would you?”

Yves and Olivia twitched agitatedly. Now they were the ones being manipulated.

“Well! Now that we’re all in agreement, we can drive on up! I’ll get the car!”

“Do you even have a driver’s license?” Yves asked. 

“......Yes!” Kim Lip said with delayed confidence.

“Why did you hesitate…” Olivia deadpanned.

So Haseul ended up driving them instead. And now they were all at the summerhome together.

But Chuu still couldn’t help worrying about how Yves and Olivia seemed to be brooding. 

“What I want to know,” Yves said, “Is what inspired this trip. You don’t have some ulterior motive, do you?” 

“You’re always so cynical,” Kim Lip huffed, “If you don’t have anything else to do other than pick on me, maybe you two should take Chuu to the lake.”

Instead of their usual energetic responses of anger, a strange silence bubbled in the room. 

“What on earth is eating you two?” Kim Lip asked.

“It’s fine!” Chuu insisted, “I can go by myself…”

“You two leave me no choice. To clear this gloom, we need someone bright! I’ll call Jinsoul!!”

Olivia and Yves were immediately towering over her as she reached for the phone.

**_“Call her and I’ll kill you.”_ **

* * *

“That’s much better,” Kim Lip sighed as she leaned back on the couch, “I don’t know why they didn’t just take her in the first place. They’ve been strangely downhearted since yesterday.”

Haseul sat down next to Kim Lip on the couch. Kim Lip stretched out and laid across Haseul’s lap.

“But now that they’re gone… I’m bored! There’s no one to tease!” she poked Haseul’s face “I’m bored! Boooored!”

“Yeah, me too.” Haseul rolled her eyes, “You’re the one who dragged me out here.”

“No! Haseul can’t be bored!!” Kim Lip sat up suddenly, pulling a bag from beside the couch and dumping it on the table in front of them. Out poured a big pile of books. “I brought these for you! There’s nothing Haseul loves more than a good book! (Except me)”

Haseul blinked in surprise. How did she speak parentheses out loud?

She shook her head. That wasn’t important. There was something else…

“Kim Lip…” Haseul started. Yves had said something about ulterior motives hadn’t she? 

_ I see…  _ Haseul realized. 

Through old friends in common, they had learned that Kana had gotten married a few days ago… Haseul was happy for her, to be honest. She wanted Kana happy. Wanted her to smile even if she wasn’t the one who put that smile there…

_ Come to think of it… _ Jinsoul had visited recently too, doting on her even more so than usual.  _ I guess they’ve been worried about me. _

“Yes?” Kim Lip replied.

“I… You’re right,” Haseul smiled, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able sit down and relax with a book.” 

Kim Lip smiled back. 

“I wonder if Chuu and the others are getting along…”

“If she’s with them, I’m sure she’s fine.”

* * *

The three girls walked along the path in the woods towards the lake. Olivia and Yves were ahead, while Chuu trailed behind, growing more and more worried by the second.

_ It’s so heavy!! There’s an infinitely heavy weight looming over us!!  _ Her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, stressed. It was so unbearably silent.  _ They’re not even arguing! _ The two of them never went this long in close proximity without bickering. 

_ Why are they like this all of a sudden? I don’t remember them being like this before we visited Mom’s grave! _

Chuu stopped dead in her tracks.

_ That must be it! It’s the only possible explanation!! I must have said or did something to offend them that day. Only… they’re too nice to say anything about it! _

“Um… I’m sorry!” Chuu stuttered. 

Olivia and Yves turned around to see Chuu with her head hung low, “Huh?”

“I really am stupid so… I didn’t notice at all,” Chuu said, her voice trembling, “If… If I did anything to offend you, please tell me! I promise I won’t do it again! Just…”

_ Please go back to how you two always were… _

“Chuu… wait--” Yves said, confused.

“What the…? What are you talking about?” Olivia said as well.

Olivia started to step towards Chuu, when her foot caught on a hole in the ground, making her twist her ankle and stumble. She managed to catch herself against a tree.

“Olivia are you okay??”

“Who’s idea was it to go on this pathetic excuse for a trail??” Olivia snapped. 

They all looked down where Olivia had tripped. Except it wasn’t just a hole…

It was a giant footprint, accompanied by others.

“Bear footprints…?” Yves muttered.

“IT’S THE BABADOOK!!” Olivia and Chuu yelled out in unison. 

Chuu started to back away, “What should we do??? It’s unsafe! We should go back! We should--”

“Chuu!” Yves called out, but it was too late. Behind Chuu was a small ravine, and she had stepped back right onto the beginning of the steep slope. Before she knew it, she was falling backwards into empty space, but it wouldn’t be long until she hit the bottom.

Olivia and Yves dove after her, but there was only so much they could do-- even less so because the moment they got too close to her, they both transformed. 

They all landed at the bottom with a crash, luckily unscathed. 

“I’m so sorry!!” Chuu cried, burying her face in her hands.

Why did she always cause them so much trouble? How many times had she forced them to transform??

A voice came from above, “Chuu, are you okay?” the small grey fluff that was Yves righted itself so it was standing on the tree branch it had fallen onto.

“No… I’m sorry…” Chuu sniffed.

“Sheesh… you should watch where you’re going,” Olivia huffed, pushing Chuu’s knee with her nose.

Chuu stood up and started to gather Olivia and Yves’ scattered clothes, feeling pathetic.

“Watch where you’re going?” Yves jeered, “That’s rich, coming from the one who fell first.”

“You’re full of shit! You know you fell first! That’s what happens when little girls who stay locked up inside their whole lives go out into the real world!” Olivia barked up the tree at Yves.

“It’s better than a certain mutt who went out into the mountains for four months and came back just as useless as ever.”

“Yeah right! Nobody could master the things I had to learn up there in such a short amount of time! You wouldn’t have survived two days! You could stand to learn from this little hike!”

“And you could stand to learn some common sense. And just so you know, The Babadook is a character from a  _ horror movie _ .”

“Don’t act like you’re so smart! Who gives a damn if a bear shows up in a horror movie??”

“You really are an idiot.”

Their bickering finally broke Chuu out of her moping. 

Olivia put her front paws on the tree, scratching at the bark and trying to get at Yves above her, “Today is gonna be the day you draw your last breath! You hear me??”

“I think I’ve heard that one before actually.”

“Stop cheating and get down here and fight me like a man!!”

“You’re the one who’s cheating in these forms…” Yves said, “I don’t think I could get down even if I wanted to.”

“Hahaha,” laughter started up from behind them. Chuu started giggling uncontrollably, holding the girls’ clothing tight to her.

“Chuu?” Yves asked hesitantly.

“What?” Olivia snapped defensively.

Chuu held out her hand to Yves. Yves hopped into it and Chuu put her down on the ground, kneeling in front of them.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled, wiping a stray tear out of her eye, “I shouldn’t laugh at you two fighting. I’m just…  _ so relieved.  _ It was rude of me to laugh but… I’m glad to see you two back to normal. You two fighting used to make me so worried, it’s strange that it’s such a relief to me now…”

“Chuu…” Yves said, “what you were saying earlier… I’m sorry I made you think I was angry at you… If it seemed like I was upset…” Yves trailed off.

_ “Mom! Please!” _

“I just wasn’t feeling well, is all,” Yves finished, putting her tiny head on Chuu’s leg, “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Me too…” Olivia said, looking away, “I wasn’t mad either. I just… wasn’t feeling well.”

“In the head?” Yves snarked.

“No!!” Olivia snapped, just as they both vanished in a puff of pink smoke. They reappeared back in their naked human forms.

Chuu yelped and covered her eyes while the two girls picked up their clothes and got dressed. 

“That’s a relief… I’m glad you weren’t feeling well,” Chuu stopped, “Wait, I mean. Not that I’m glad you don’t feel well just glad that you weren’t mad… You haven’t changed…

“Changed? I haven’t changed at all.” 

Chuu opened her eyes. Both the girls were dressed again.

**“Only that I hate her now more than ever.** ” Both Olivia and Yves spoke in unison, pointing at each other. They stopped in surprise. 

“What did you say??” Olivia exploded.

“What did YOU say?” Yves yelled back.

“I’ll hate you my whole life! I hate you so much I could die!!”

“Go ahead, it would save me the trouble.” 

“Heehee!” Chuu giggled again, making the girls fall silent.

_ It’s silly. I’m really glad. It really is better when they’re energetic like this, even if they are fighting. I guess it really is for the best. _

“Do you think maybe we should call it a day?” Yves said finally.

“Yeah... We could always visit the lake tomorrow,” Olivia added.

“Okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait I just realized the chapter title might make you think it was time for Go Won whoops sorry not yet. (DON'T WORRY WE MEET HER IN THE CHAPTER AFTER NEXT I PROMISE)


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who needs chapter titles anyways?

“You ready to go, Chuu?”

“Yep!”

“You’re going to the lake?” Kim Lip asked, “Don’t fall in, Olivia!”

“SHUT UP! I WOULDN’T FALL IN!!”

_ Honestly, Chuu is the most likely to fall in…  _ Yves thought to herself  _ I should keep an eye on her. _

Chuu looked to the couch, Haseul was laying with her head on the end, facing away from Chuu. 

“Goodbye Haseul, we’re leaving!” she said happily, stepping towards Haseul. When there was no response, Chuu got closer so she could see Haseul’s face. 

Haseul had fallen fast asleep, book in hand.

“Oh!” Chuu whispered, “She’s asleep!” She turned and ran out the room.

“Haseul sleeps?” Olivia said.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Everyone sleeps, Olivia,” Kim Lip teased.

“I just meant she doesn’t seem to be the kind to fall asleep in front of others!” Olivia snapped.

“Well, you’re right, that is unusual for her. Poor thing… she’s so tired,” Kim Lip looked at Haseul’s peaceful face, “She has a lot on her mind…”

Chuu came back into the room, holding a blanket, “Uh, she’ll catch a cold like that! So I brought a blanket!” 

Chuu laid the blanket carefully over Haseul.

“How thoughtful of you Chuu, you’ll make a great wife someday!!”

Yves and Olivia both rolled their eyes.

“Yes, yes, very commendable!” came a sudden, new voice.

Behind Chuu, Jinsoul put her hands on her shoulder, “You have my praise!”

The entire room went silent.

“Why is everyone so stiff all of a sudden?” Jinsoul laughed, “Are you all feeling well?”

“IT’S BECAUSE YOU SHOWED UP SUDDENLY!” Yves snapped.

“WHERE THE HELL DID YOU EVEN MATERIALIZE FROM??” Olivia added. 

“That’s silly,” Jinsoul scoffed, “I came in through the door, obviously. How dumb are you Puppy-Hye?”

“You’re the LAST person I wanna hear that from!”

“Uh… Hi Jinsoul!!” Chuu tried to lighten the mood.

Yves stuck an arm in front of her, “Stay away from her Chuu, she’s dangerous.”

“Now, I know you’re all weeping tears of joy due to my presence but please calm down. I got here with the help of a certain someone!” Jinsoul winked.

“A certain someone?”

Olivia and Yves both glared at Kim Lip who held her hands up in surrender, “It wasn’t me I swear!”

“Don’t worry Lippie! Even if the whole world were to turn against you I would still be by your side!” Jinsoul reached out to Kim Lip dramatically.

“Oh, Jinsoul,” Kim Lip said back, “You’re the light of my life, the sun to my moon!”

Olivia rubbed her temples, “Just being around you two is shortening my lifespan. I can’t take it much longer.”

“Well, now that I’m here—” Jinsoul started, when suddenly a book came flying out of nowhere and hit her in the head.

The whole room turned to look at the source. Haseul was sitting up now with a sleepy scowl.

“I thought I told you to stop bothering people Jinsoul…”

“Haseul! You’re awake!”

“How could anyone sleep through all this noise?” Haseul said, irritated.

“GOOD MORNING SLEEPYHEAD!” Jinsoul yelled, a teasing grin on her face.

“DID YOU HAVE A GOOD NAP HASEUL?” Kim Lip joined in.

“Jinsoul… what are you doing here?” Haseul asked.

“Well you see,” Jinsoul snapped up to attention, “This morning at 10:24 am sharp I went to visit Haseul at the main house. Upon arriving, I noted that Haseul was not there. One of the family servants (female, aged 54) told me that Haseul had taken a trip up to the family summer home. I thought to myself that I would, of course, like to join you all. Without hesitation I packed, got into my car (a silver Toyota), and made my way here swiftly and invincibly!” She said this all in one breath, as if she were giving an important presentation, and ended with a grin.

“…That’s… That’s all it took?” Olivia whispered, close to the edge of sanity. “One question from Haseul and she just spills it all…”

“It doesn’t matter how or why she’s here,” Yves said, “The important thing is that she _leaves_.”

“Aren’t you happy to see me little sister??”

“Has my every other reaction to your presence leading up to this point not told you enough?”

“But we really must continue to bond!”

“I’d sooner see you sink to the bottom of the lake.”

“What a splendid idea! We could swim together!!”

“Yves, Olivia,” Haseul interrupted, “Weren’t you going to take Chuu to the lake?”

“Really?” Jinsoul, gasped, “Now, it’s incredibly rude to keep a lady waiting when you’re supposed to be escorting her! What on Earth is keeping you here?” Jinsoul clapped, “Chop chop!”

Olivia and Yves almost burst a blood vessel.

_IT WAS YOU. IT’S YOUR FAULT._

“Bye Jinsoul! It was nice to see you!” Chuu called back as Olivia and Yves dragged her out of the door.

“Have fun you three!” Jinsoul waved back.

* * *

 

“Isn’t the lake so beautiful?” Chuu chirped, looking out at the water.

When there was no response, she looked behind her to see the other two girls fuming.

“What the hell is she doing here anyways?” Olivia snapped at Yves.

“How should I know?”

“She’s _your_ sister. Can’t you get rid of her?”

“Don’t you think I would have already if I could? Trust me, I’m just as irritated as you are. I hate people like that, so dependent on others. Why does she have to hang onto Haseul like that all the time?”

Chuu gave a little sigh. It’s not like she could say anything after being so happy about them fighting just yesterday.

“You’re one to talk!” Olivia scoffed, “You’re entirely dependent on Kim Lip, loser.”

“That’s none of your business! You don’t have any right to talk about that. You don’t even KNOW what you’re talking about.”

“Well it’s not like I want to talk to you at all! But I have to cause you’re always around! Just like that damn fish!”

“Then just leave!”

They were yelling at the top of their lungs now. Chuu just tried to relax and wait it out, hoping it wouldn’t turn into a real fist fight.

“Please! I’d love to leave! Why do I have to see this stupid lake with YOU anyways??”

“I agree! Being here with you is torture!”

“This is stupid! I wish we had never came!”

Yves opened her mouth to yell back again, but suddenly hesitated before muttering, “We’re doing it again.”

Olivia and Yves turned to Chuu.

“Don’t get me wrong Chuu!” Yves rushed to say.

“Huh?” Chuu said, surprised.

“It’s not that I hate the lake itself! Or being here with you!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Olivia added, “It’s just her! I hate her guts but not you!”

“Ah….” Chuu said breathlessly, “Okay..?”

Yves and Olivia looked away, embarrassed.

“As long as you understand,” Olivia muttered. They stood with their backs to her, facing the lake again.

Chuu smiled, stepping between them and looking back out to the lake, “Isn’t it pretty?? Can we walk around the edge of it?”

“I guess…”

* * *

 

“Here,” Jinsoul slid a small envelope across the table. The three of them sat out on the porch, enjoying the beautiful weather.

“What is it?” Haseul asked hesitantly.

“It’s pictures of Kana’s wedding! It’s your choice if you want to look at them.”

“Seriously Jinsoul?” Kim Lip asked, “You went?”

“No of course not!” Jinsoul shook her head, “I got these from Mayu!”

“You saw Mayu?” Kim Lip said, surprised.

“Yep! The one who called you just a ripple on the water.”

“Oh yeah,” Haseul remembered, “She was a college friend of Kana’s. She dumped you after one month, right Kim Lip?”

“Guys… I was young..” Kim Lip said, embarrassed.  

“But weren’t you invited Haseul?” Jinsoul continued, “Since you worked together? I guess you really didn’t want to see her huh?”

“Memories can’t really be erased,” Haseul said, “Just suppressed. I didn’t want to risk her remembering.”

“But if she remembers then maybe you two could go back to the good old times and be happy and in love again! Or maybe you could make her fall for you again without remembering!”

“No… I don’t want that,” Haseul said quietly, “I would only miss her, even if we were together. Things can never go back to the way they were. If she remembered, the sadness would just eat us both. If she didn’t remember, it would only haunt me. It could only end badly for the both of us. All I can do now is pray that she finds happiness…”

Kim Lip frowned as Haseul looked out at the forest around them somberly.

“I’m sorry but I just can’t agree,” Jinsoul said sternly.

Kim Lip and Haseul both raised their brows at her unusually serious tone.

“Now I’m team Haseul so I understand I might be biased, but it seems to me that Kana took the easy route out--leaving her memories and her pain behind and leaving Haseul to shoulder them alone. All she did was attain happiness for herself and left Haseul to eat smoke! It’s selfish!”

“That’s just… not how I see it,” Haseul said simply.

“That’s because you are just too kind Haseul!” Jinsoul shook her head, “I understand it’s one of your charms but sometimes you really take it too far and I’m afraid it allows people to walk all over you!”

“She does have a point Haseul,” Kim Lip agreed, “You do let people push a lot of their problems onto you…”’

“You two should know,” Haseul muttered. Jinsoul and Kim Lip were the chiefs of Haseul’s problems most days.

“I won’t tell you to get back with her Haseul,” Jinsoul continued, “But let me just say this. I want you to be two thousand times happier than you would be with Kana.”

“Why two thousand?” Kim Lip asked.

“Because one thousand isn’t enough!”

“Maybe you should have this kind of conviction and honesty with Yves,” Haseul pointed out.

“Really?” Jinsoul said, “Hmm…”

“Anyways,” Kim Lip said, “I do hope that you find someone new, they’re someone that you can be close to without holding yourself back. Someone you can truly be happy with.”

“Spoken like a true poet Kim Lip!” Jinsoul praised,

Haseul frowned. A new love. That was a reckless wish.

_The way that us who are cursed to inevitably hurt the ones we love…. When I think of the pain we cause those people… I feel that I should just be grateful for the moments I had with Kana. For the rest of my life, knowing that I had that is enough for me. I think I can get by just fine._

“Oh look, they’re back,” Kim Lip looked down to the path below them to see Chuu, Yves and Olivia approaching.

Chuu was chattering away happily. Yves listened with a smile, and even Olivia listened intently.

_All I can do now is watch over them and help them, try to keep them from making the same mistakes I did…. So that they don’t lose the will to keep smiling._

“Welcome back Yves!” Jinsoul said, “And to your little friends!”

“Who’re you calling her friend??” Olivia snapped.

“Anyways Yves!” Jinsoul ignored Olivia, “I just received some advice from Haseul, and I’ve decided to have more conviction when bonding with you!!”

“Conviction how?” Chuu asked curiously.

“The best way would be for her to stop trying…” Yves muttered.

“Like this!” Jinsoul pointed at Yves dramatically, “Yves! The fact of the matter is that I am your older sister! Therefore you must obey me! And I order you work with me to deepen our relationship!!”

She was met with absolute silence.

Haseul sighed.

“GO TO HELL!!!”

“She just doesn’t get it, does she?” Haseul said as Yves shouted.

“Nope. She doesn’t,” Kim Lip laughed.

Kim Lip watched Haseul with a smile as she tried to drag Jinsoul away before she made more of a fool of herself.

_But neither do you Haseul. There’s more for you out there than you think…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright y'all GO WON IS NEXT CHAPTER I PROMISE. Basically, if you want the Go Won chapter ASAP just comment a bunch yelling at me to write the next chapter cause honestly I have no life right now so I have no reason to procrastinate. I'm still worried cause I'm trying to figure out how to work her story out with Olivia like should I save myself from the current love triangle or just COMPLICATE IT MORE cause there's no way you can ignore the clear chemistry between her and chuu rn and the stuff I have planned for them smh... Maybe this should just be a huge polyamorous story fuck it. As it is everyone is already pansexual in this universe. Like literally everyone on the planet gender doesn't even matter in this world. They just all seem like lesbians cause they're all girls?? idk man idk I'll stop rambling this is what happens when I got a cafe to write I never drink coffee it riles me up.


	30. My One and Only (part 1)

“It looks like the rain might stop soon,” Yves held out her hand. It was just a light drizzle now. She and Chuu were standing under a random overhang, their groceries on the ground beside them as they rested their arms. Chuu was leaned against the wall, glad they had managed to find shelter before the groceries got wet.

“That's good! I was worried we'd be stuck here, or have to run back in the rain!” She chirped.

“Yeah. So…” Yves put her hands in her pockets awkwardly, “Golden week is over.”

“Yep! I'm going to miss the summer home,” Chuu smiled fondly.

“I'm not going to miss the noise.”

“But spending time with everyone was half the fun! Having dinner and talking with them all… I was sad when it was time to leave.”

“Well, school starts up again soon and we have to study for finals.”

“Yeah…” Chuu sighed, “And student body elections are coming up! I hear the president wants Olivia to be his successor!”

“Mhm,” Yves said simply. There was no point in talking crap about Olivia while she wasn't here.

“Well look who it is.”

Yves and Chuu looked out into the rain to see Choerry standing there. In her arms she had a small bundle.

“Choerry! What are you doing out in the rain? You're soaking wet!”

Chuu tugged Choerry by her arm to pull her under the overhang. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the water off of Choerry's face. It was then that Chuu noted the telltale purple ring around Choerry's left eye, as well as that familiar calculating stare. Chuu faltered for a moment, her hand trembling briefly, but she held steady and finished drying Mirror's face.

“What's under the blanket?” Yves asked.

Mirror raised the blanket. Inside, a glass was upside down on her hand. Inside that glass was a small blue butterfly.

“Go Won?” Yves said, surprised.

“How pretty!” Chuu gasped, “Do you collect butterflies??”

“No Chuu..” Yves sighed, “that's not just a butterfly.”

…!

“The butterfly from the legend!! The spa owners daughter!!”

Mirror lifted the glass, “I was out here looking for her. I keep hoping she'll transform back, but I think the rain was bad for her in this form. She's too weak.”

“Nice to meet you Go Won, I'm Chuu!” Chuu held out a finger in greeting.

“Chuu wait--” Yves started.

Suddenly, Chuu was jolted with a strong electric current, making her knees give out.”

“Ahh!!!”

* * *

 

Yves carefully wrapped a bandage around Chuu's finger. They sat in the living room.

“Go Won has a defense mechanism that all the butterflies have. Because they are so fragile, all generations of butterflies have the power to create electric shock to protect themselves from harm.”

“You should probably apologize to her, Go Won,” Kim Lip said, looking at the butterfly on the table.

Chuu thought it looked like the butterfly's wings fluttered indignantly.

“No, it's not her fault! It makes sense that she would want to protect herself. Especially if she was weak and scared. It was reckless of me to try to touch her.”

“I don't think she was as much worried as irritated, right Go Won?”

“Go Won doesn't speak,” Mirror interrupted.

“Huh?”

“Haseul says it's psychological... Something has locked up her words. She stopped talking, stopped going to school, and then today she didn't come home. So I went looking for her. I was surprised and lucky to find her in her animal form.”

“Did she bump into someone?”

“No, I think she just got weak.”

“So what happened to cause all this?” Yves asked.

“Teasing.”

Go Won rose up and landed on Mirror's arm, crackling with electricity.

“That hurts.” Mirror said stonily, “What, are you mad? You're telling me not to tell them what isn't their business? You can't be serious. Do you have any idea how worried we've all been? Your mom is out there looking for you right now."

With a few flaps of her wings, Go Won was back in the air. She flew away and out through the open window.

“Go Won! Wait!” Chuu called, before noticing that Mirror's arm now had a bright red burn mark. “Mirror! Your arm!”

She took the ointment and bandages from Yves and went to work on Mirror's arm.

Mirror watched her silently. When she finished, Chuu gave her a nervous smile. 

“We should go look for Go Won now, right?” She asked.

“Or maybe you should just stay out of it,” Mirror replied.

Chuu hesitated. If Mirror wanted her to stay out of it, maybe it would be best if she didn't interfere.

_I hope when you meet my daughter… you'll show her the same kindness…_

She straightened out in determination. She had told Go Won's mother she would treat her with the same kindness as Yves, Olivia, and Yeojin. Go Won was hurting. Chuu couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

She stood and hurried out the front door.

Yves sighed. Maybe she should have held her back but… she had a feeling Chuu could help more than Mirror gave her credit for.

“You seem worried. Are you two really that close?” Yves asked.

“Close enough.” Mirror answered “At least Choerry was. They went to same school before she and Yeojin left to go to high school, Go Won is a year behind them, so she has one year left there. Choerry feels guilty for leaving her behind. And also… it reminds her of when you stopped talking, Yves.”

Yves stiffened.

“You would curl up in a ball and stay silent, as if it were all you could do to protect yourself.”

Yves stood suddenly, “Just stop. Don't talk about…. That.” Her heart was clenching tight in her chest, her hands starting to shake.

“Choerry wants to protect her, but that's kind of my specialty.  We were too young to help you when you needed it.”

“Just shut up!!” Yves heart was pounding fast now, her ears buzzing. She kept her fists at her sides, even though they wanted so badly to cover her head.

“Is it really something to get that worked up about?” Kim Lip asked.

“It is.” Yves snapped back. She was in a cold sweat.

“Why? Are you embarrassed?”

Yves eyes widened. Without a word, she stormed out the front door.

Mirror sighed, “You know Kim Lip, sometimes it seems like you enjoy adding fuel to the fire…”

“Maybe. But you started the fire in the first place.”

“I was just being honest.”

“Well if you're so honest, why don't you admit you want to help Go Won because _you_ want to, not because Choerry wants it.”

Mirror faltered, her purple ring flickering just briefly.

* * *

 

“Go Won! There you are!” Chuu found Go Won in a bush very close to the window she had left from. “It's so windy out I was worried, but I'm glad you didn't go far!”

Chuu crouched down closer and held out her good hand, “Here, let me take you inside. You can't go far in this weather, right?”

Go Won flapped her wings and Chuu felt a strong, painful zap.

“Ahh! You know what? It's okay! That doesn't hurt one bit!” Go Won shocked her again, “Okay maybe it hurts a little but I swear it's fine! I don't mind!!”

“Go Won.”

Chuu looked up to see Go Won's mother beside her. The woman approached and crouched next to Chuu.

“Kim Lip called and told me you were here. What are you doing? Do you enjoy worrying your mother? Why are you hurting the people trying to help you?” Go Won's mother sounded tired, which was normal for her, but she sounded sad and angry too.

“Did I do something wrong? Why did you run away? Why didn't you tell me you were being teased? Why won't you _say_ anything? I'm sick of this Go Won… I don't know if I can take much more.”

_The mothers of legendary children… either become very protective of their child, or reject them entirely._

“Maybe she _can't_ say it,” Chuu spoke up, “To tell someone who cares about you that you're being bullied… can be so scary. I couldn't when it happened to me. Eventually my mom found out, and all I could do was cry and apologize… as if I had been stupid. As if I had made a mistake. I felt so pathetic for being teased. I was ashamed. I wondered if maybe she would think I was pathetic too? What if she started to hate me? I was so scared…”

Chuu didn't even notice that Yves had approached from behind, and was hanging on to every word.

_I was scared. I didn't want anyone to see my weakness. I would make up stories to try and hide it. Afterwards I would only feel even more pathetic… and ashamed._

“So when my mom told me, ‘It's okay. There's nothing to be ashamed of,’ I was so relieved I started crying all over again. Go Won might be feeling the same way. She doesn't want you to be ashamed of her, or hate her. It's because she loves you that she couldn't tell you.”

Yves watched in awe as a poof of smoke enveloped Chuu and Go Won's mom. When it cleared, Go Won was there, holding Chuu's burnt hand against her face, crying silently. All she could do was nod tearfully as Chuu took her face in both hands and pressed their foreheads together. Chuu was crying as well.  

Something was bubbling up inside Yves’ chest.

_I was always ashamed of my weakness. But… I want to hear you say it. Just once. Even if it's a lie. I know it will give me the courage… to try and become strong._

* * *

 

“Go Won is staying with us?” Olivia had missed quite a lot while she was at the dojo training that day.

“I think that after everything that happened today, we should watch her for a while. She and her mother need time to recuperate.”

“I have no idea what the hell you're talking about… and I don't even see Go Won anywhere.”

“That's because she's glued to Chuu.”

* * *

 

Chuu stroked Go Won's long blonde hair. Her head was on Chuu's lap in her bedroom floor.

“She's asleep?” Yves asked, she sat beside Chuu, looking down at Go Won.

“Yes.”

“You haven't tried to move away…. Isn't she heavy?”

“Nope.” Chuu smiled.

Yves sighed and put her head on Chuu's shoulder. Chuu flinched slightly in surprise.

“Chuu… what would you say if I told you that I was weak?” Yves asked quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

“Yves is the strongest person I know.”

“But… what if I wasn't?”

Chuu leaned her head to the left so it was resting on top of Yves’. “I would say… that's okay… not everyone can be strong all the time.”

Yves closed her eyes for a moment, her breath sighing completely out of her lungs. She opened her eyes again.

“Can we just stay here for a while? I want to watch over her. Just for a while…”

Chuu nodded and went back to stroking Go Won's hair.

_Just for a while… I know it will give me the strength to go on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet we made it folks. And I was so determined that even though right after I posted yesterday's chapter I had to take my computer to the shop, I wrote the next chapter anyways on my phone!! Also I didnt sleep last night but that's completely unrelated. Next chapter, we'll learn a little more about Go Wons perspective, and why exactly her words got locked away. Thanks for all your comments I had lots of feels


	31. My One and Only (part 2)

_Someday, I'll have to face my problems._

 

It had been three days since Go Won came to stay at Kim Lip's house, but Chuu, Yves and Olivia had to go back to school. It was a hard separation for Chuu and Go Won, who had been attached at the hip, Go Won folling Chuu around like a baby chick. Chuu didn't mind, in fact she seemed to love having Go Won around, doting on her and constantly going on about how cute she was.

“So Go Won is staying with you?” Yeojin asked. Their usual group sat on the school's roof for lunch.

“Yeah… but she'll have to go back eventually,” Olivia said, “I wonder what she's going to do…”

“She's probably thinking the same right now,” Choerry frowned, “she always lets her problems bounce around in her head until they drive her crazy… she'll have to face her classmates again, and her mother.”

Yeojin curled in on herself a little, resting her chin on her knees sadly.

“Oh,” Chuu said, “Go Won's mother called yesterday to check on her actually.”

_How is Go Won? Is she eating well? She doesn't like dry foods. Her favorite meal is Kimchi ribs. You'll call if anything happens, right?_

“If Go Won's mother called…” Yeojin perked up, “that means she's thinking about her, right? She wouldn't have called if she didn't care!”

“That's right!” Chuu smiled.

“What happened with her classmates anyways? Why were they teasing her?” Yves asked.

“I don't know," Choerry said, “ She used to be so carefree and silly. The Go Won I knew loved to dance like a crazy person and brag every time she won a game… I can't imagine what made her like this.”

“I know.” Yeojin said, “At first it was because of her eyes. Apparently they made people uncomfortable.”

Go Won had bright teal-blue eyes with black specs, just like her wings.

“That's pretty common… we all have strange eyes,” Choerry nodded.

“Yeah but it anyone made fun of you, Mirror would come out and beat them up.” Yves pointed out.

“Go Won tried her best at first. She told them she couldn't help what her eyes looked like. But then…” Yeojin's eyes darkened, “they started to ignore her, as if she were invisible. But even while they pretended she didn't exist, they did something even worse. Whenever Go Won would speak, they would laugh, even if she wasn't trying to be funny. If she answered a question in class, they would giggle amongst themselves.”

Chuu listened with baited breath.

“I could only imagine how that would feel,” Yeojin said, “if everyone would laugh at me when I spoke. I understand how that could make you lose your words. And knowing how much it caused trouble for people around you… would just make me feel worse.”

“Poor Go Won...” Chuu said, tearing up.

“Do you think this is our fault?” Choerry said quietly, “I've always wondered if being popular was just one step away from being hated. Sometimes I felt like the people at our school secretly hated us… after we left, Go Won was all alone… an easy target.”

Yves pulled out some tissues and passed them around to Choerry, Chuu, and Yeojin, “Don't be silly. What were you going to do, flunk and stay in middle school?”

“Maybe…” Yeojin sniffed.

“That'd be incredibly stupid,” Olivia said,  “You should focus on what you can do for her now.”

“Yeah…” Yeojin wiped her face.

The school bell rang, signaling it was time to go back to class.

“I have to come over after school today,” Choerry said, “I have a letter from Go Won's teacher. Suddenly, Choerry's left eye glowed slightly, though her right remained illuminated.

“The contents would probably make you barf.”

The girls went to leave, but Chuu stopped, seeing that Yves was hanging back.

“You know…” Yves started, “Weakness may be seen as bad… and it's not a good feeling to be helpless. But I think you're right. Being strong all the time isn't realistic, and it's not good either. Society talks about survival of the fittest, but we're not wild animals. Even us members of the legend… we're human.”

Chuu smiled warmly up at Yves, “Yeah.”

 _Yeah..._ Yves thought to herself as she and Chuu walked back into the building together,  _Maybe I have gotten stronger..._

* * *

 

When the girls arrived home, Go Won was sitting on the porch waiting for them. When she saw Chuu, she ran up to them. Go Won grabbed Chuu's hand and looked up at her inquisitively.

“My hand feels much better! Thank you!” Chuu responded.

Go Won gave her a small smile, dropping her hand down but still holding onto Chuu's sleeve.

“You're so cute!!” Chuu fawned, “I just love you!!” She ruffled Go Won's hair. “Unfortunately, I just came by to say hi before I went to work.”

Go Won looked a little sad as Chuu said goodbye and started back up the path they came from.

The group went back to the porch with Go Won.

“This is for you,” Choerry pulled out the letter.

Go Won took it and sat down on the edge of the porch to read it. When she finished, she hung her head silently.

“Let me see,” Choerry said, taking it from her,

“Dear Ms. DeLune, how are you? Are you coming back to school soon? Everyone in class is waiting for you to come back. Won't you try harder to join us? What's most important Go Won is that you learn to like yourself, to find good qualities in yourself that you like. Because people who don't like themselves can't be expected to be liked by others.” As she read, her left eye started to flicker on. “Tch. It's even worse than I expected.”

Mirror threw the letter aside. Slowly, Yves picked it up and held it, thinking.

“Go Won… There was a time when I didn't speak either," she said, "The reasons weren't the same, but those feelings of self hatred and shame were there as well. But… we don't have to be ashamed. What your classmates did to you was wrong. It's not your responsibility to look inward and fix yourself so that they can like you.”

“That teacher is an idiot,” Olivia scoffed, “Like yourself? Find good qualities to like about yourself? What does that even mean? How do you even find these good things?” Olivia looked down at her hands, and the beads strung around her wrist, “I only know things I hate about myself. It's all I've ever known. Forcing yourself to find good things… that's not how it works… it just leaves you feeling empty.” She looked back up at Go Won, “I think… the first time someone tells you they like you… that's when you start to see the good things in yourself. When someone accepts you for the first time, you finally are able to forgive yourself a little, and begin to face your fears…”

Go Won looked up at the sky, silent tears falling down her cheeks.

_You're so cute!! I just love you!_

“...yeah. When she…. I was so happy…” Go Won's voice was as soft and sweet as cotton candy.

Mirror's eyes widened in surprise, “Go Won...”

Olivia crouched down in front of Go Won. “Tell me, what will you do next? Do you think you can just keep hiding like this?”

Go Won shook her head, “No… I have to try my best… even if I can't make up with them… even if they still ignore me… I have to keep trying my best.”

“That's right,” Olivia nodded, “I will too. We can both try our best. And if you ever feel sad again, or things get too hard… come here. Here is where she is.”

_Someday… I'll have to stand up for my worthless self._

“Okay…”

Choerry practically tackled Go Won, holding her tight in her arms, “It's so good to hear your voice again. It's been too long.” As she held Go Won, both of her eyes shone brightly purple.

\---

Chuu stepped out of the bakery, looking up at the moon in the clear night sky.

“Chuu-unnie!”

Chuu whirled around to see Yves and Go Won. Go Won was walking quickly towards her. Chuu gasped.

“Uwahh!!!” She cried, “Go Won!!!”

“Chuu-unnie!”

Chuu ran to meet her, "Uwahhhh!!!!"

Yves watched their tearful reunion with a smile.

_Mom, Go Won has the sweetest, softest,  most beautiful voice! I'm so glad I got to hear it._

\----

And so, Go Won agreed to go back to school. The girls walked her part of the way there to give her strength.

“I should go with her all the way and talk some sense into those punks…” Olivia grumbled.

“The last thing we need is you beating up a bunch of middle schoolers,” Choerry sighed.

Go Won gave a soft laugh, “Thank you, Olivia…”

Olivia looked away, blushing, “yrwelcome…” she mumbled.

They all waved her off.

In truth, Chuu was sad to see Go Won go. She would miss having her by her side all the time.

_But I have to endure! She's fighting so bravely after all! Try your best Go Won!_

Yves looked from Go Won to back at Chuu and felt a weight starting to lift off of her.

_It's not that I'm suddenly stronger… or that something has changed. Sometimes I still find myself shaking… but… those fears don't have to stop us. What's most important is that we try to rise above our weakness._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly guys, part of this is frustrating to write because parts of the manga are just so beautiful and heartbreaking because of the visuals. I try my best to translate those emotions into just writing (crying while I do it ;_;). I really hope I do a good enough job but I also really hope you guys give the Fruitsbasket manga (or anime, the new one just started) a chance! Thanks as always for your support ❤❤❤
> 
> PS  
> HERE IS THE FINAL AGE COUNT I KNOW I'M UNCLEAR AT CERTAIN POINTS. IGNORE EVERYTHING I'VE SAID IN THE PAST HERE IT IS.  
> Go Won: 15. In her last year of middle school (by Korean grades)  
> Yeojin and Choerry: 16, first year of high school  
> Chuu, Yves, Olivia, Vivi: 17, second year of high school. When the story started, they were in their first year.  
> Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Haseul: 23  
> Jiwoo: 19  
> The only not definitive ages are heejin and hyunjin I'll decide their ages next time we see them!


	32. Chapter 32

“Alright everyone, I’m handing back your exam scores today.” The teacher started to pass out the slips of paper,  “For those of you who got any red marks, makeup exams are on saturday.”

Groans resounded throughout the room, “On a weekend, teacher?”

Olivia leaned back, “If you don’t want to come in on the weekend, maybe you losers should study, then you wouldn’t get red marks.”

Yves looked down at her scores-- pretty good, as per usual. She turned to talk to Chuu, but Chuu’s head was hung low, her scores gripped tightly in her hands.

“Chuu?” Yves said hesitantly, “Did you get red marks?”

Chuu nodded, her face hidden by a curtain of hair.

“How many?”

Chuu lifted up a single finger.

“Just one? That’s not so bad!” Yves said reassuringly, “You can make that up easily.”

Chuu thumped her head against her desk, “I’m sorry.”

Yves quirked a brow, “Sorry? Why?”

“For wasting your time…. You helped me study and I still failed.”

“Chuu… that’s not--”

The school bell rang, cutting her off.

The girls stood, packing their bags. Chuu’s face was pitiful.

“Chuu,” Yves started, “I’m supposed to go see Haseul for my check-up… but I can postpone and come home with you if you’re feeling really sad. We can study some more.”

Chuu was struck with a sudden energy, shaking her head vigorously, “No! I can’t ask you to do that. You have to take good care of yourself and manage your health! I’m just being stupid,” she knocked herself on the head, giving a convincing enough smile.

“Okay… if you’re sure…”

“Yes! Besides, I’ll have Olivia to keep me company.”

“Right. I’ll see you later.”

* * *

 

Chuu and Olivia walked home together. Chuu had lost her energy again and was starting to trail behind a little. She just felt so guilty… and stupid…

“So you got red marks, huh?” Olivia said casually.

Chuu put her face in her hands, “I’M SORRYYYY!!”

Olivia was taken aback, “Dude, calm down. You can just make it up this weekend. I heard some of the boys saying that the makeup exams are easier than the originals. I’m pretty sure one of them fails on purpose so he can get a better score on the makeup.”

Chuu didn’t answer. She felt… really tired. Her legs were wobbly. She just kept staring at the ground as she followed Olivia.

“There’s no reason to get so depressed about it… If you let yourself get so worked up, you’re going to give yourself a fever,” Olivia joked.

Chuu stumbled a little. Her head bumping Olivia in the shoulder.

“Chuu… are you okay?”

“I feel dizzy…” Chuu said.

“Wait…” Olivia put a hand on Chuu’s forehead. It was hot. “I WAS JUST JOKING DID YOU ACTUALLY GIVE YOURSELF A FEVER??”

* * *

 

“Yep, that’s a fever all right,” Kim Lip looked at the thermometer she had just pulled from Chuu’s mouth, “My expert diagnosis…. A cold.”

“Well duh, I could have told you that!” Olivia snapped, “Now just make her get some sleep already!”

“It’s not that surprising really that you got sick… You’ve been overworking yourself with school and your job, and cooking and cleaning as well… You just need some time to rest.”

“But I can’t rest…” Chuu protested weakly, “I have work, and I have to study for the makeup exam, and make dinner! I haven’t even bought the ingredients yet!”

“All you need to worry about is sleeping it off,” Kim Lip insisted, “We’ll take care of dinner ourselves, okay?”

“B-but… I feel fine, really!”

Kim Lip leaned in and held Chuu’s chin in her fingers, “Chuu, you’re a good girl. So do what I say, okay?”

Chuu’s face turned even redder, “...okay.”

“Good,” Kim Lip smiled.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

Chuu sighed, changing into her pajamas.

_This is the worst time to catch a cold… I just keep getting more and more pathetic._

Chuu felt like crying, but that would be even more pathetic. Who was she to cry, when she was already being a burden on others?

* * *

 

Kim Lip hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen, “I called into Chuu’s work and told them she wouldn’t be able to come in, I--” Kim Lip stopped in her tracks, “Olivia, what are you doing?”

Olivia glared back at her from in front of the stove, where a pot of soup was simmering.

“Are you really too stupid to tell?”

“Is that for Chuu?”

“Who else would it be for? It’s not like a sick person can cook for herself.” It’s not like _she_ would eat it. There were three things she hated most in this world. First was Yves, obviously. Then was rain, and third was leeks. But of course, every single source said the best thing for a cold was leek soup. So here she was, trying to keep her face pointed away from the smell rising from the pot. Gross.

Kim Lip just stared at her, something in her eyes that Olivia didn’t even want to try to understand.

“You got a problem???” Olivia yelled.

“I didn’t say anything....” Kim Lip said holding her hands up in surrender, “But… Olivia, what are we going to eat?”

“TAKE OUT. OBVIOUSLY.” Olivia turned off the stove and used potholders to pick up the small pot. She put it on a serving tray along with a dish and spoon. Then she hesitated. “...Can you take this up to her?”

“Nope!” Kim Lip chirped mischievously.

“FINE! I’LL DO IT MYSELF.” Olivia picked the tray up and kicked the door to the stairs open.

“Don’t destroy my house on the way please!” Kim Lip called. She smiled, “I guess chivalry isn’t dead after all…”

Olivia stood in the hallway outside Chuu’s door, her anger whooshing out with a sigh. At the end of the hall, the door out to the balcony was open. It was where Chuu would hang up the laundry on a sunny day. Olivia could easily picture her there, her dopey smile for no one but herself as she hung up the laundry alone, simply happy in the moment…

Olivia knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

Chuu wasn’t in bed like she was supposed to be, but sitting on the floor at her small table, reading one of her textbooks.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” Olivia growled.

“I know I just,” Chuu scrambled, “I was so stressed I couldn’t sleep, and reading calms me down. I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone and study in the meantime!” She smiled, then looked at the tray in Olivia’s hands, “What’s that?”

Olivia sat it down on the table, “Dinner. Now eat.”

Chuu lifted the lid as Olivia kneeled on the other side of the table, “You made this for me?? That’s amazing Olivia! I’m so happy!”

“Yeah yeah… just eat it already.” Olivia looked away.

“Right!” Chuu happily slurped a few bites, closing her eyes as the soup soothed her throat. She felt the warmth spreading through her body.

“It’s delicious! Thank you so much.”

Olivia let out a small grunt and stood, “Just leave the dishes in the hall when you’re done.” She went to leave.

“Oh! Uh… I’m sorry Olivia… for all this,” Chuu said sadly, “For inconveniencing you…”

“Well if you’re so sorry just get better already,” Olivia responded.

“Okay…” Chuu looked down, sniffling.

Olivia gave Chuu a tortured look, “There you go again with the crying!” She slumped down onto the floor.

“I’m sorry!” Chuu hiccuped.

“Just… just get it out,” Olivia said, looking down at the ground instead of Chuu, “I’ll listen… to your problems or whatever…”

Chuu tried to resist, but she felt the dams breaking as tears streamed down her face, “I wanted to keep my promise… that I made with my mom… I said I’d finish high school because she couldn’t. But I got a red mark… I’m so pathetic… I failed Yves too… I wasted all that time she spent helping me study!” Chuu cried, “And now, on top of that… I have a cold! I’m just a burden to people around me. I want to be someone that’s level-headed, that other people can depend on!”

Olivia listened quietly, “...Are you done?”

“Yeah…”

Olivia straightened up, “Well first of all, you can make up as many red marks as you want with the retest. It’ll be like it never even happened. So I still don’t know why you’re so upset over that. As for that dumb duckling, who cares? You can waste all her damn time if you ask me. You can overwork her until she DIES. Do the world a favor.” She sighed, “It’s super lame stressing yourself out so bad you get sick from it, but... you’re not walking around with that stupid smile on your face like you always do….”

“Stupid…?” Chuu laughed softly.

Olivia ducked her head to hide her embarrassed face, “Not seeing it… is the only burden I can think of. If it means you’ll be back up again soon with that face… I don’t mind cooking while you rest at all. So don’t worry about all that crap.”

Chuu watched Olivia with surprise.

_I guess she’s… trying to cheer me up?_

“Keep eating dummy!” Olivia snapped, “Or you’ll never get better!”

“Right! Sorry!”

Olivia rested her head on her arms on the tabletop.

“It really is delicious,” Chuu said again.

“There’s no way it’s that good…” Olivia replied, “Not compared to your cooking…” She finally made eye contact with Chuu, her cheeks flushed just slightly.

Chuu smiled back warmly. She was so happy to have a friend like Olivia. Chuu could tell she was trying so hard to be nice and make her feel better… Olivia had her own way of being sweet, even if it did sound Chuu was being scolded.

Olivia stared at Chuu smiling at her and felt something strange in her stomach.

“You being level-headed would be creepy anyways…” She muttered, looking away.

* * *

 

“Be careful Haseul-unnie!” Yeojin said from the foot of Chuu’s bed, “Don’t hurt her! You’ll stop if she says it hurts right??” Go Won stood next to Yeojin, quite worry on her face.

Haseul carefully gave Chuu an injection in her left arm.

“It’s okay,” Chuu smiled, “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Lip-unnie said it hurt a lot though!!” Yeojin insisted, “That you kept putting it in the wrong place!”

“Yeah, well, I did that on purpose,” Haseul said dryly.

“HASEUL HOW COULD YOU??” Kim Lip cried dramatically, “YOU’RE SO SADISTIC!!”

“You were being especially irritating that day.”

“If all you’re going to do is make noise, get out. It’s bad for the patient.”

“You’re so mean Haseul!” Kim Lip and Yeojin whined from behind Chuu’s now shut door.

Haseul put her equipment away, “That should help you get better a lot quicker.”

“Thank you,” Chuu replied, “How much do I owe you?”

Haseul smiled knowingly at her, “Just get better. I know a lot of people who have a hard time keeping calm when you’re stuck in bed sick. Call me if you need anything,” she left the room.

Go Won moved so she was near Chuu’s head, “Do you think Haseul-unnie is one of those people who can’t stay calm too?” She asked in her soft voice.

“What?” Chuu said, flustered, “I can’t imagine Haseul being anything but calm! I don’t think I’ve met anyone calmer than her!”

Go Won shrugged, “she came pretty quickly when we heard you were sick… Though I guess Yeojin probably wouldn’t have let her delay much.”

Chuu tried to change the subject, “I really do love your voice Go Won,” she said, “It fits you so well… Soft and unique just like a butterfly’s wings.”

Go Won gave a bashful smile, ducking her head down.

“How are things going at school?”

“Better…” Go Won said, “The other kids... They still don’t like me. But now that I’m stronger, it doesn’t bother me when they laugh anymore. I think they’re starting to get bored of it too now.”

“I’m so happy for you!” Chuu exclaimed, “I know you can stay strong!”

“I think… when I go to high school… I might come to your school like Choerry and Yeojin did…”

“That would be so fun!”

“I would definitely like to see Chuu-unnie every day” Go Won said, “And be close to Choerry and Yeojin again.... And Olivia…”

“Huh?” Chuu asked, “Olivia?”

Go Won flushed slightly, “I think… when we were very young, we were friends for a little while. I can barely remember it… and I don’t know why we stopped but… I would like to be closer to her…”

“Closer, huh? How close?” Chuu smiled knowingly. She wasn’t that stupid! She could read between the lines too!

Go Won turned an even brighter red. She pushed Chuu’s shoulder, “Not like that.”

“Olivia IS very pretty…”

“Chuu-unniieeee” Go Won shook her playfully as Chuu giggled.

There was a knock on the bedroom door then.

Yves stepped in, a notebook in her hand.

“Hey… What did Haseul say?”

“She said I should be better in no time!”

“That’s good,” she handed the notebook to Chuu, “In the meantime, I put together some study questions for your makeup exam. If you can answer these, you should be fine. Once you’re feeling better, we can go over them together, okay?”

“Wow! Thank you Yves!”

_Having people to get better for… who want me to feel better because they care and not because they’re being burdened by my sickness… feels so wonderful. I’m so happy…_

* * *

 

“What are you doing Olivia?” Yeojin asked loudly, “Are you studying to be a bride??”

Olivia shoved her away, her nose buried in a cookbook titled _Home Cooking that Feeds the Soul._ “Hell no! Shut up and go away, brat!”

“You know,” Kim Lip said to Haseul as they sat at the table, “You should pick a dish.”

“Huh?” Haseul said, putting down her tea.

“I’m sure Chuu will want to cook you something as a thank you.”

“Ah… of course,” Haseul smiled slightly.

 

_And don’t worry mom! I made up my test just fine after all!!_

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 


	33. Love Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In your cold eyes, I can't see myself anymore

_ Olivia should have known every time… Those little pockets of happiness were always temporary. Worse than temporary… they made the pain of what came next even harsher. She didn’t learn her lesson the third time, just like she didn’t the second… or the first. _

 

_ “Olivia wait for me!!!” Go Won’s short legs couldn’t carry her fast enough to catch up. Olivia was seven, two years older than her. But someday she would get big… then she would catch up. Olivia laughed as she climbed up the steps to the park, finally stopping to wait at the top. _

 

_ “Can I try your bracelet on?” Go Won asked as they sat on a bench, drinking juice boxes. _

_ Olivia flinched back from Go Won’s reaching hand. _

_ “No.” _

_ “What? Why not?”  _

_ “Because!” Olivia stood, tossing her unfinished juicebox aside. _

_ “Just for a second!” Go Won reached out and grabbed Olivia’s wrist. Olivia pulled back with all her strength, but by wrenching her arm out of Go Won’s grasp, her bracelet was yanked off as well.  _

 

_ Olivia would never forget that scream. _

 

_ Seeing her here now for the first time in years… with Chuu-- Olivia’s fourth pocket of happiness-- only reminded her the lesson she always forgot to hold onto. This was temporary. _

_ Still… she tried to help Go Won… to say the right thing… to make her feel better. Olivia wanted to  _ **_be_ ** _ better. But once she was alone, she couldn’t hold up the facade. _

_ Go Won’s hair was different now. Blonde instead of black. But… her eyes were the same as all those years ago. The eyes that looked at her in admiration before that day came.  _

 

_ The same eyes that Chuu had now.  _

 

_ But Olivia remembered when those eyes changed. The only way Go Won could look at her the way she did now was because of Haseul.  _

_ Olivia curled in a ball in the corner of her room, her chest aching. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see or hear. As the memory of the day Go Won looked at her differently for the first time played over and over in her head, and slowly her face became Chuu’s. It was a thing she could see so clearly-- a change in Chuu’s eyes that would be inevitable if Olivia wasn’t careful. The only way she could keep that from happening was if she ran far away before it was too late… _

_ The wolf inside her howled in despair… both options too heavy to bear. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all hope you like CRYPTIC BACKSTORIES. Next chapter will be a little piece of Yves' backstory.  
> Thanks to everyone who comments!! I love you all and you inspire meeee <3


	34. A Mercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picking up where we last left off with Yves and Olivia's story... the part Olivia didn't get to see.  
> (Trigger warning: Abuse)

_ 6 years ago... _

 

_ “Okay, have a good night.” _

 

_ “You too.” _

 

Yves held the white flowers close to her chest as she walked carefully through the crowd of people towards her family. People stopped her and congratulated her for her performance. She felt like she was floating as he finally reached Jiwoo and her parents. 

“Wonderful job Yves,” her mother said, “You definitely outshined even your seniors!”

“Thank you, mother,” Yves smiled. It was rare that her mother showed any pride in her. 

“Yes it was quite something,” Jiwoo said. Even though she was only two years older than Yves, she had always sounded like an adult when she spoke. Jiwoo was smiling, but something in her eyes made the floating in Yves’ heart sink down to her knees. She had done something wrong. 

She couldn’t even begin to imagine what she might have done. But she was sure she’d find out soon enough. 

* * *

 

“I’ve been very generous with you… haven’t I, Yves?” 

Yves didn’t answer. She found that when she was in this room, nothing she could ever say was the right answer. Being silent was safer.

“I let you join that dance club… even though it meant you would be gone at school for even more hours every week.... You know how much I miss you when you’re gone.”

Jiwoo kneeled down in front of Yves, who was sitting on a cushion on the floor. Jiwoo stroked Yves’ hair out of her eyes, “My beautiful swan…”

Yves knew better by now than to flinch away. She looked into Jiwoo’s eyes, unwavering. 

“And yet,” Jiwoo gritted her teeth and grabbed a fist full of Yves’ hair, snapping her head back so that she was forced to look up, “I come to this performance of yours to see you dance like… some kind of  _ slut. _ That’s how you repay my generosity??”

Yves clenched her fists but sat still, trying to keep her heart steady. She couldn’t seem too scared, that would only encourage Jiwoo. But she couldn’t be too stoic either. It would seem like insubordination. She had learned to tiptoe the line between the two.

“You displayed yourself like that for the entire world to see,” Jiwoo’s voice was so incredibly dark, almost a snarl, “When you know you belong  _ only  _ to me.”

“I’m sorry…” Yves whispered. It was her only tool of rescue in this room. Sometimes if she was apologetic enough, Jiwoo would spare her punishments. She liked to see herself as merciful.

Jiwoo let go of Yves hair and stood, pacing around the room. 

“You never danced like this before at the New Year’s banquet… when it was your turn to perform,” Jiwoo said cooly, “Clearly this something new that you’ve learned. Maybe I’ve been too lax with you lately. And then there’s that wolf…”

Yves tensed.

“Maybe you didn’t learn this from her but…” Jiwoo cocked her head to the side, looking at Yves with a calculating expression, “I know the reason you’ve let that mutt hang around you so much was to spite me. You wanted to make me jealous, isn’t that right? Maybe it’s gotten to your head too much. Maybe you’ve gotten too confident about disobeying me. The only reason I’ve let it go on is because I know you don’t really mean it.” Jiwoo sat down next to Yves, resting her head on the girl’s shoulder, “You always come back to me when I call… you don’t hesitate to leave her behind, and that’s because you know our bond is more powerful than anything else. What we have is sacred… it’s destined and inevitable,” Jiwoo sat up and took Yves’ chin in her hand. Yves didn’t resist as Jiwoo brought their lips together. 

When she pulled away, Jiwoo’s eyes were soft again. All malice gone.

“One thing’s for sure,” Jiwoo said quietly, “You can’t go to that club anymore.”

Yves nodded silently.

“But I know you might be tempted to disobey me…”

“No....” Yves said, “I wouldn’t.”

“You would…” Jiwoo insisted, “To have to choose between two things you love would be difficult. So I’m going to help you.” Jiwoo kissed her one more time and stood. “I’m going to take that temptation from you… the choice that will hurt your heart.”

Walking over to the other side of the room, Jiwoo pulled a baseball bat out of the shadows. 

Yves felt her mouth go dry. 

“Jiwoo… no... Please...” Yves’ voice quaked as Jiwoo stepped towards her.

“One day, you’ll realize this was a mercy.”


	35. I See You

_ Someday I’ll have to stand up for my worthless self… _

 

Yves stood fixated on the flyer in front of her. 

 

**DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS THIS FRIDAY!!**

 

Hesitantly, she tore the little slip of paper at the bottom off, reading the time and location details. She could do this. One step at a time. Just because she was taking the information didn’t mean she would have to audition. And if she auditioned that didn’t necessarily mean she would have to join. It wasn’t a commitment. Just a… hesitant step. A step towards being a braver version of herself. How could she expect Go Won to do it if she couldn’t do it for herself?

“Yves! Thanks for waiting for me!” Chuu skipped up to her. Yves clenched her fist, hiding the slip of paper from sight.”

“Of course,” she smiled at Chuu, “You ready?”

When they walked outside, it was raining. Chuu spotted Olivia standing under the concrete overhang of the front of the school, leaning against a pillar. 

“Olivia!” Chuu exclaimed.

Olivia turned around. Her face was ashen, her posture slouched.

“Olivia… are you okay?” Chuu asked as she got closer.

“I’m fine…” Olivia said, her tired voice unconvincing, “Just waiting for the rain to stop.”

“Did you forget your umbrella?” Chuu pulled her own out of her bag.

“No I just… don’t like being in the rain.”

“It’s because she’s the wolf,” Yves explained impatiently. Could they go one day without making everything about that stupid mutt?

“Wolves… don’t like rain?” Chuu asked. She didn’t know much about wolves, or animals in general, but that seemed strange.

“It’s not real wolves… Just the legend.” Olivia shot a weak glare at Yves, “It’s nothing. Let’s just go.” She pulled out her own umbrella.

Chuu tried not to pry as they walked home, but Olivia was looking weaker by the second.

“So… the rain makes you sick?”

“Not sick… just tired,” Olivia had her free arm wrapped tightly across her chest, holding onto her other arm. The bead on her bracelet glistened red with the moisture. “My bones ache… and I…” Shook her head, “Just forget about it.”

“Can I carry your bag for you?”

“No way!” Olivia snapped, “How pathetic would it be to have someone as weak as you have to carry my things for me.”

“You don’t need any help from Chuu to look pathetic, mutt.” Yves said. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line of irritation. It was always the three of them together. She was sick of looking at Olivia’s face. Sick of hearing her voice.

“Shut up! You damn… you damn duck…” Olivia panted, exhausted, “I’ll… I’ll kill you…”

She looked down at the beads of her bracelet. Her wrist was itching like crazy, but she looked away. The best she could do was ignore it. If she thought about it too much, it would just itch more.

The three girls were too distracted to notice a man watching them from across the street-- a man whose eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of the softness in Olivia’s eyes as she assured Chuu, “Just don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I swear.”

* * *

 

“Of course the rain decides to stop the moment we get home…” Olivia grumbled as the girls stepped onto the front porch. 

“Stop whining.” Yves said, “Chuu and I had to carry these groceries the whole time while you were completely useless.”

“I couldn’t make her carry them!” Chuu said, “Olivia isn’t feeling well-- I didn’t mind carrying it!”

The girls walked in and kicked their shoes off. It was then that they saw Kim Lip sitting at the table, along with a man that Chuu didn’t recognize. He turned and smiled.

Olivia gaped in surprise, “Master?”

“You look well, Olivia.”

* * *

 

_ So this is Kazuma…  _ Chuu thought as she poured everyone their tea _ , The one Olivia always talked about… her martial arts master. _

“It’s nice to see you again,” Yves said as Chuu passed the cups around.

“You as well,” Kazuma replied, “You look taller now, and stronger.”

“Kazuma didn’t only teach Olivia,” Kim Lip said, “He taught Yves and many of the other DeLune children as well. He owns a small dojo in the outer circle of the DeLune estate.”

“That’s amazing!” Chuu said.

“I’m very glad to meet you, Chuu,” Kazuma said, “Is it okay if I call you Chuu?”

“Yes of course!” Chuu stammered, “I’m very glad to meet you too!” Kazuma was handsome, he couldn’t be much older than thirty. 

“So I heard… you know about the curse?” Kazuma said, “Is that true?”

“Yes. Yes I do,” Chuu answered, remembering how out of the ordinary it was for her to know. She hoped this wouldn’t make Kazuma mad. 

On the contrary, Kazuma sighed and smiled to himself, “I see…”

“Aren’t you going to say something Olivia?” Kim Lip asked. Olivia was sitting at the far end of the table, silently brooding. “It’s been awhile since you’ve seen each other. Aren’t you happy?”

“Of course I’m--” Olivia snapped, then stopped, looking at Yves. She stood up abruptly and stalked out of the room.

Kim Lip sighed, “That’s just like her isn’t it?”

Kazuma smiled and stood as well, “Could you tell me where her room is?”

“It’s the second door on the right,” Chuu said, “I could take you?”

“I think I’ll manage,” Kazuma said politely. He went after Olivia.

“What… what’s just like her?” Chuu asked Kim Lip.

“Olivia is actually really happy to see Kazuma… she just doesn’t want anyone to know. Especially Yves.”

“Ridiculous…” Yves muttered, but Chuu remembered that night when Yves couldn’t laugh in front of Olivia either… 

Kazuma found Olivia’s door ajar and stepped in, closing it behind him.

“I’m sorry about my manners in there..” Olivia said. She was standing in the middle of her room, her back facing Kazuma. 

“I understand,” Kazuma replied, “You’re still just the same-- unwilling to show vulnerability in front of Yves.”

Olivia whirled around, her fist aimed at Kazuma’s stomach. 

Kazuma swiftly blocked it with his own hand. They stood motionless and silent for a second before Olivia finally grinned up at him.

“Welcome back, Master! Welcome back!”

“It’s good to be back, Olivia,” Kazuma put an affection hand on Olivia’s head.

* * *

 

“So… Kazuma isn’t one of the twelve members of the legend?” Chuu asked as she cooked dinner. Kim Lip was taking plates out of the kitchen cabinet.

“Nope. But he is part of the “inner clan,” Kim Lip explained, “His grandfather was possessed by the spirit of the wolf before Olivia was born.”

Chuu looked at Kim Lip curiously, “Really?”

“Yeah. So Kazuma probably knows better than anyone what Olivia is going through. He really cares about her and tries to protect her, like a father figure. Something Olivia definitely never had before.”

“A father figure…” Chuu repeated to herself, remembering the way that Yves and Olivia never really talked about their parents. It seemed she was right about there being some sort of story there.

* * *

 

“So now that you’re back, that means I can come live at the dojo with you again, right?” Olivia said eagerly, “Like we promised!”

Kazumas face fell slightly, remembering what he had said.

_ We can live together when I come back… until then, we’ll have to be separated. _

“Olivia… I think you have to keep living here.”

“What? Why?” Olivia asked, “Is it because of Jiwoo? Are you afraid of her too now?”

“No,” Kazuma shook his head, “I think that this place has been good for you. I think staying could heal you…”

“Master! Please.  **I hate it here** ,” Olivia said desperately, “It feels like I’m constantly submerged in lukewarm water. Sometimes it just… it just drives me crazy. I can’t stay here. I hate it!”

Kazume gave her a sad look, “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think you hate it at all. That lukewarm water? It’s not drowning you-- it’s healing you. And that scares you, doesn’t it?”

“Who says I want to be healed??” Olivia cried out, “Healed for what? My life will never amount to  _ anything _ and it’s that damn swan’s fault! The only thing I want is to kill her!”

“I’m sorry,” Kazuma said quietly, “I want to help you. I want you to see that you can allow yourself to want more than just that.”

“You of all people should know that that will never be possible,” Olivia said stonily, before stalking out of the room.

* * *

 

“I’m going to take it off tonight.”

“Seriously?” Kim Lip looked at Kazuma, her eyes searching his face. But it was full of resolve.

Kazuma nodded.

“What made you decide?”

“Her face,” Kazuma said, “I think… I think she may actually be able to open her heart to this girl… to let herself be healed.”

“You’re really willing to risk it all on her? So soon? Don’t you think it should wait? Things are already going well enough as it is.”

“No,” Kazuma said, “As long as things continue the way they are, Olivia will always be holding a part of herself back. She’ll get comfortable in the easiness of hiding, and that way she will never truly heal. She has to make this jump.”

“She may hate you after this… and if it fails… she may never be the same. She may never smile again. You’re willing to risk that?”

_ “Master! You really messed dinner up again… I’ve never seen something burnt so bad. You’re not very good at this, are you?” _

_ “I guess I need more training too.” _

The smile that Olivia had always given him… from the time she was young… Kazuma could lose that.

“I guess I am… I really think… she’s our only hope.”

Kim Lip sighed, “Everything we’re putting on Chuu’s shoulders… now you too… I only hope she’s strong enough to bear it.”

  
  


_ “Chuu… could you spare me some of your time tonight?” _

 

* * *

 

“Master… Couldn’t we talk inside?” Olivia asked in discomfort, “You know how this weather gets to me…” It was dark out, and it had started to drizzle again. Kazuma and Olivia stood in the front yard. Olivia was still angry… but part of her hoped Kazuma had called her out to tell her he had changed his mind.

“Yes. Just like my grandfather,” Kazuma said, “Maybe because of the wolf spirit.. Or maybe the wolf’s true form? Maybe it hates the rain.”

Olivia made a disgusted noise in her throat and looked away.

“Olivia,” Kazuma said, stepping closer, “If you can’t accept your ‘original form,’ you will never be able to move forward.”

“I have accepted it!” Olivia snapped, glaring at Kazuma. She gave a dark bark of a laugh, “My life has been miserable because I was born with the spirit of the wolf, and it’s all that damn Swan’s fault! Yves. She’s the source of all my misery!”

“You haven’t changed at all…” Kazuma said sadly. He remembered Olivia as a small child just like it was yesterday. So much anger…

_ “This is all because of Yves,” she screamed, “It’s all her fault! You’ll be satisfied if I die right?? I’ll kill her and then myself! Is that what you want??” _

To be fair… the person she was screaming at had deserved it… but for such a small child to wish for such a thing…

“Are you going to keep living like this?” Kazuma asked, his voice stronger, “With your eyes shut and your ears plugged? Using your hatred of Yves to hide the truth? To protect yourself? If you do that… You will live your whole life alone, and you’ll die alone. Just like my grandfather.”

Olivia held back tears and clenched her fists, “So what? So what if I do??”

Kazuma shook his head, “It’s not that you want that, and it’s not that you hate it here. You’re just afraid to let it heal you,” he grabbed Olivia’s hand and held it up. Olivia looked away. She couldn’t stand the sight of those beads…

“You’re convinced that if she knew the truth, if she saw your original form, she would reject you. And so instead you run away. You hide yourself from the option of finding out something different.”

“No... No!” Olivia said, starting to pull away.

“But I won’t let you.” Kazuma said. Olivia froze and looked up at him. It was only then that she saw a figure behind him. Chuu had come out. Olivia’s heart sunk to her knees.

“I will drag you forward myself to that finish line. Tonight we’ll see… were you really born to be miserable? Are you really cursed to be rejected by those around you?”

“Please… don’t.” Olivia whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

At lightning speed, Kazuma pushed Olivia back by her chest, while holding onto her bracelet. Olivia fell back, feeling it slip off, feeling something tear inside her. Her eyes locked with Chuu’s.

_ No.. Don’t look.  _ **_Don’t look!!!_ **

“DON’T LOOK AT ME!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	36. I Saw You

_ “So this is the Wolf’s true form…” Jiwoo said, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, “It’s so ugly… and disproportioned. And that smell! It smells like something rotting.”  _

_ Olivia, seven years old and in a body that wasn’t hers but belonged to her alone quivered as Jiwoo held those beads aloft. _

_ “I wondered what could be so bad that Go Won would need her memories erased… but I get it now. It’s horrifying. The evil of the Wolf in physical form…” _

 

The Wolf’s true form was enormous, with gangly limbs that were too long and bent at strange places. Tufts of mangy fur sprouted unevenly along skin that looked like leather. Olivia’s silver eyes had been replaced by the red, glowing eyes of a monster.

“...Olivia?” Chuu’s voice came softly. Her eyes were wide, her jaw slack. Olivia could easily recognize that look of fear.

She didn’t want to hear the scream. She didn’t want to see Chuu run away. 

So she ran. With one inhumanly large jump she was gone, vanished into the forest.

_ She saw me…. She saw me!! It’s all over. Everything... is ruined. _

  
  


Kazuma looked at Chuu as the sounds of Olivia crashing through the trees slowly faded away. 

“That was the Wolf’s true form… the one Olivia was trying to hide from you. Only the ones possessed by the spirit of the Wolf have another form.”

Chuu didn’t answer, her eyes staring blankly where Olivia had stood. It was fully raining now, but neither of them could notice.

“Are you disgusted..? Scared?”

Without a word, Chuu turned and ran..

From the windows of the house, Kim Lip and Yves watched Chuu follow Olivia’s path into the forest. Yves gritted her teeth and closed the curtain, sliding down against the wall onto the floor.

Kazuma clutched Olivia’s beads in his hand, “Can you heal her heart?”

* * *

 

Chuu didn’t make it more than a few minutes before she had to stop running. She stumbled and fell to her knees, gagging. She supported herself by holding onto a tree as she threw up onto the forest floor.

_ That smell… not even throwing up helps. I’ve never smelled anything like it. I’ve never seen anything like that. But that was Olivia… Olivia’s other form. _

Olivia’s Wolf that Chuu was used to wasn’t even that large. It was an adolescent wolf at most. The size of a dog. Olivia’s true form was the size of a bear.

_ I don’t know what to do… I barely can comprehend what just happened… What do I do now?? This hurts… it hurts so bad. I’m so scared... _

_ But… _

 

_ “It’s super lame stressing yourself out so bad you get sick from it, but... you’re not walking around with that stupid smile on your face like you always do…. Not seeing it… is the only burden I can think of.” _

* * *

 

Olivia had finally stopped at a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Surely this was far enough. Where could she go now? Like this?

_ It’s okay Olivia… Mommy still loves you. Everything is fine. _

“ **SHUT UP!”** Olivia slammed a thick, clawed paw down, cracking a large log. 

She couldn’t hold back the guttural howl of misery that escaped her throat. 

“Olivia…”

Olivia swung her head around to see Chuu stumbling out into the clearing. She was soaking wet and covered in mud, wearing only her socks on her feet.

**_What the hell is she doing here??_ **

“ **DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”**

Chuu didn’t listen, but slowly continued to approach Olivia.

“ **Why did you follow me? Stay away! Can’t you see?? Can’t you SMELL??”**

“Olivia…”

“ **It’s weird? Isn’t it?? Disgusting?? Right?? Why can’t you just LEAVE ME ALONE? I DON’T WANT YOUR PITY.”**

Olivia turned away. She couldn’t look. 

Chuu reached out a shaking hand to touch Olivia’s arm.

_ “It’s because Mommy loves you…” _

**“DON’T TOUCH ME.”**

Olivia’s large paw swiped out at the speed of light, her claws slicing through Chuu’s shirt and the skin on her shoulder. 

**_Please… please don’t give me anymore bad memories…_ **

Chuu fell back onto the ground, tears welling up into her eyes.

**“YOU MAKE ME SICK. YOU’RE THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON I’VE EVER MET. IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, I’LL SLASH YOUR FACE TO PIECES.”**

Olivia’s whole body was shaking as she watch Chuu slowly stand, pain etched onto her face.

**_Good. If I’m going to lose her forever, it’s better to rip the bandaid off quick. Hurt her so badly that she’ll never want to see me again, so she’ll give up on me. That’s how it should end. I’m sick of this. I’m tired of losing things. I don’t want to be pitied! And I don’t want to accept false love…_ **

_ “That’s not true honey! You’re a human being! Sometimes you look like that because you’re possessed by the spirit of the wolf! You always return to your human form, see? I’m not scared at all.” _

**_LIAR. You were always scared, right? That’s why every day you would check to see that my bracelet was still on._ **

_ “You make me proud, son.” _

**_Then why wouldn’t you let me go outside?_ **

_ “You’re just so cute I didn’t want to share you.” _

**_You were ashamed, weren’t you?_ **

_ “Of course not! I love you! I would die for you!” _

**_I don’t want that!! Why would you say things like that??_ **

Chuu was making her way back into the trees. As she should.

_ “Your mother loved you more than anyone!” _

**_I don’t want that kind of love!!! Stop forcing me to accept it!! My mother had to pretend that a part of me didn’t exist to love me!! It would have been okay if she was scared!! I really wanted--_ **

Chuu stopped at the edge of the forest, her fist clenched and her shoulders squared. She whirled around, her eyes blazing with determination. 

She ran back to Olivia and threw herself onto her arm, holding on with all her strength.

Olivia lurched back in surprise,  **“WHAT--”**

“You have to come back,” Chuu said, “You have to… you have to come home! Olivia… I feel like you’re trying to leave forever!! But you can’t!!”

**“LET GO OF ME”**

“You have to face the reality of this!” Chuu held on as Olivia tried to shake her off “We have to face it together!!”

Olivia stopped and swung a red gleaming eye around to look at Chuu.

Chuu was crying desperately, “Olivia… Right now… I  _ am _ scared. You don’t look like the Olivia I know. Of course I’m scared! But I couldn’t stand it if you didn’t come back!!” She rested her face on Olivia’s arm, “I want to understand. From now on, I want to listen to your problems and your grief and your worries like you listen to mine!! I want to know about the fear and the pain and misunderstandings so we can face them together! I won’t let you hold all this alone!”

Olivia watched Chuu sob earnestly into her disgusting, fur covered arm, wondering how she could stand to be so close.

“I want us to be together! To study and eat meals and to worry together! That’s all I want! You can’t… you can’t leave!”

_ Why am I saying this? I feel like I’m making it about me…  _

_ But isn’t that what Olivia said? Didn’t you tell me it was okay to be selfish every once in a while? _

Suddenly, the arm that Chuu was holding had become soft again. 

Chuu looked up in surprise to see Olivia-- the Olivia she knew-- looking down at her. 

“It’s okay…” Olivia said, her voice rough, “To be scared… You don’t… you don’t have to like all of me.” She was covered in dirt, her hair a wet, tangled mess, but there was a light Chuu had never seen before in her eyes,  “Being scared means you see me. My own mother couldn’t do that. She thought she could hide her fear behind her love. I want to… face all of it together… like you said. Even if you hate and fear that ugly face… I want to live through it… together!” Tears welled up in Olivia’s eyes as she reached for Chuu.

_ I was such an idiot… I never thought I would find someone who could say something like this… to me. _

For just a moment, Olivia was able to wrap her arms around Chuu. Chuu buried her face in Olivia’s shoulder.

_ How could someone like you wipe all this ugliness from my heart? _

Inevitably, Olivia transformed, but this time, she was smaller than she had ever been-- a wolf cub. She laid her head on Chuu’s lap.

_ Why would someone like you be here with me… and cry for me? _

Chuu smiled down at her.

_ I don’t deserve this… I don’t deserve it at all. Even so… I’ll always cherish this. _

* * *

 

Kazuma sat on the front porch, Olivia’s bracelet still in his hand. The rain had stopped, and the sun was starting to peek over the horizon.

Was there still hope?

He looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Kazuma stood, the breath knocked out of him, tears welling up in his eyes.

Chuu came out of the clearing. In her arms, she carried a sleeping wolf cub. 

_ Thank you... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I really want out of this fic is to convince y'all to stan fruitsbasket cause I can't even begin to capture how amazing it is with what I'm writing.   
> Love ya'll <3


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